Salmorejo Cordobés #SoupSwappers

 

Welcome to the May #SoupSwappers event. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm started this group and I'm always grateful to have a few more recipes to try. This month, she is hosting and prompted that "May is National Egg Month. While I can't think of any American Soups containing eggs, many other cultures use eggs in their soups all the time. Share one of your favorites with us this month."

Here's the line-up...

• Chicken Noodle Egg Drop Soup from Making Miracles 
• Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup from Karen's Kitchen Stories 
• Kerala Style Egg Stew With Idiyappam from Sneha's Recipe 
• Polish Whole Beet Soup (Botwinka) from zestysouthindiankitchen 
• Salmorejo Cordobés from Culinary Adventures with Camilla  
• Stracciatella from A Day in the Life on the Farm 

Egg-y Soups

When I started thinking about soups made with eggs, I realized that Wendy was right; I couldn't think of a single American soup made with eggs. So I considered variations on Spanish Sopa de Cebolla, Italian Stracciatella alla Romana, and Japanese Tantanmen Ramen with Soy-Pickled Eggs. But I decided to go with Salmorejo Cordobés, gazpacho's richer, deeper cousin. This was something that a friend from Spain taught me a few years back. With its hard-boiled eggs and salty ham topping, it's more of a dinner - to me - than a starter. So, I whipped this up one warm Spring evening and poured a hearty Tempranillo to go with it. Salud!

Salmorejo Cordobés

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt (I used a smoked fleur de sel)
• 1 cup bread (I used some gluten-free sandwich bread)
• 3 to 4 cups sliced tomatoes
• 1 to 2 shallots, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/4 cup vinegar (traditional would be sherry wine vinegar)
• 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped ham (I used Jamón Serrano), crisped and cooled
• freshly ground salt, as needed
• freshly ground pepper, as needed
• Spanish olive oil for serving, optional

Preparation

Place torn pieces of bread in a small bowl and add in the salt and water. Let bread soak for at least 30 minutes.

Place the soaked bread, soaking liquid, tomatoes, shallots, garlic, vinegar, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Puree, pouring olive oil slowing through the chute. Process until smooth and thick. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

To Serve, ladle soup into small bowls. Sprinkle chopped egg and ham over the top. If desired, drizzle with Spanish olive oil and serve immediately.

Well, that's a wrap on the #SoupSwappers May event - soups made with eggs. We'll be back next month with more soupy deliciousness. I will be hosting the group as we shared dads' favorite soups. I mean everyone has a dad, is a dad, or is married to a dad (either kids or pets), right?! And I'm sure he has a favorite soup. Stay tuned.