Salmorejo Dip | Sauced

It was hard to go to a meal in Córdoba, Spain without getting a bowl of salmorejo, the pride of the local cuisine. While this simple cold soup—a tomato-based mixture thickened with bread and topped with chopped hard-boiled egg and jamón Ibérico—had a pretty consistent flavor from one restaurant to the next, its thickness varied greatly. Over three meals I experienced salmorejos that ran from a thicker and creamier gazpacho, to one with the spoon-filling consistency of Greek yogurt, and even one that was so dense it wasn't served in bowl at all, instead presented as a dip on a piece of slate.

Bringing salmorejo back home, I thought its bright fresh flavor and cool character would make a perfect summertime treat, whether it be as a soup or dip. Since sauces are my thing here, I opted to develop a recipe for the latter, creating a salmorejo that has hefty portion of bread, giving it enough thickness to coat the pieces of toasted rustic bread I served alongside it.

This consistency works well as a soup, too; if you prefer your salmorejo a little thinner, simply scale back on bread or add a bit of water. Either way you enjoy this, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser on those long hot summer days.