Andalusian Salmorejo with Peak-Harvest Tomatoes, Jamon and Chopped Egg

Put the quartered tomatoes in a blender and puree until completely smooth, about a minute. Working with genuinely ripe, heavy tomatoes is the whole recipe — underripe fruit will give you a thin, pale soup no amount of seasoning can rescue.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds very ripe farmers-market tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 5 ounces day-old rustic white bread, crusts removed, torn
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 3 ounces jamon serrano, thinly sliced and torn
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
• Coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Put the quartered tomatoes in a blender and puree until completely smooth, about a minute. Working with genuinely ripe, heavy tomatoes is the whole recipe — underripe fruit will give you a thin, pale soup no amount of seasoning can rescue.
2. Add the torn bread and let it soak in the tomato puree for 10 minutes so it softens completely.
3. Add the garlic, vinegar and salt, then blend again on high until the mixture is thick and velvety with no visible bread flecks.
4. With the blender running on low, pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. The salmorejo will turn noticeably paler and glossy as it emulsifies — this is what separates it from ordinary gazpacho.
5. Taste and adjust with more salt or a few extra drops of vinegar. The finished soup should coat a spoon thickly, closer to a loose puree than a broth.
6. Chill for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight. It thickens further as it rests; loosen with a tablespoon or two of ice water if needed.
7. Ladle into shallow bowls and top each with torn jamon, a generous spoonful of chopped egg, a heavy drizzle of olive oil and a grind of black pepper.
8. Salmorejo is Cordoba's answer to the Andalusian summer, and locals will tell you it predates the tomato entirely — the original was bread, garlic, oil and vinegar pounded in a mortar, a labourer's lunch built from pantry scraps. Tomatoes arrived from the Americas and made it what it is today. Served cold in the shade at the peak of harvest, when tomatoes cost almost nothing and taste like everything, it remains one of the most satisfying lunches in Spain.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 480 kcal
• Protein: 14g
• Fat: 38g
• Carbohydrates: 24g
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 10g
• Sodium: 1180mg