Cordoba's cold tomato and bread soup
At this time of year, there is a surplus of late summer tomatoes, so all you need is a slightly stale loaf of bread and some fruity olive oil and you have the soup from my family's home in Cordoba. Follow the ingredients and method meticulously, as deviations can cause a flavour imbalance. Tomato and bread soup is a celebration of real tomatoes - sweet, tangy and at their vine-ripened best.
Ingredients
1kg vine-ripened, soft tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
250g two-day-old pasta dura or other firm, crusty bread, crusts removed
100ml fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1 heaped tsp salt
200ml chilled water
3 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
80g jamon, cut into thin strips
Method
Puree the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor for one minute, or until as smooth as possible. Strain the tomato mixture through a sieve, stirring and gently pressing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the skin and seeds.
Break up the bread into golf-ball-sized pieces and put in a large stainless-steel bowl. Pour the strained tomato mixture and olive oil over the bread with the salt (you will need this amount of salt, as it is a cold soup and anything served cold needs extra seasoning).
Using clean hands, squish the tomato mixture into the bread, really working the liquid through. Leave to stand for 15 minutes, allowing the bread to soak up the liquid.
Puree the mixture again in a food processor, adding enough of the chilled water until it is smooth and velvety.
The soup should be a salmon pink colour. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve the soup in bowls with the egg, jamon, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil if desired.
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