30 fresh tomato recipes

Tomatoes are humble enough to blend into the background of sauces and salads, but robust enough to star as the main ingredient in a dish.

18. Salmorejo: chilled Spanish tomato soup

The Runaway Spoon
Salmorejo is gazpacho’s simpler cousin. It’s a fresh, chilled tomato soup without the added peppers and cucumbers.

 By Perre Coleman Magness, The Runaway Spoon

1/4 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion
1-1/2 pounds plum tomatoes
8 ounces baguette
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons kosher sal
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Divide the 1/4 cup olive oil between the cubes of an small ice cube tray (about 2 teaspoons a cube). Freeze until firm, 8 hours or overnight.

2. Slice the onion and place in a large bowl. Half or quarter the tomatoes (depending on size) and place in the bowl. Tear the bread into large chunks and add to the bowl with the crushed garlic cloves and the salt. Pour over enough boiling water to cover and leave to soak for an hour.

3. Drain the tomato and bread mixture over a bowl, reserving the soaking liquid. Pick out the tomatoes, onions and garlic as best you can and place in a blender. Add the 1/2 cup olive oil and the vinegar and a little of the soaking liquid and blend to a rough puree. Use your hands and the back of a spatula to press as much liquid as possible out of the bread and add it to the blender. Turn on the blender and puree, drizzling in some of the soaking liquid, until you have a smooth, creamy soup. If you would like a silky soup, pour it through a strainer into a bowl, pushing all the liquid through. Let the soup cool, then cover and chill for several hours or overnight.

4. Serve the soup cold with frozen olive oil floating in each bowl.

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