Tag Archives: Spain

tomato glut salmorejo

Tomato glut salmorejo

Fresh back from a workation summer in southern Spain (more of that to come in a future blogpost), I am missing A LOT about being away – including salmorejo. Turns out it is super-easy to make at home. Perfect if you’ve got a glut of homegrown tomatoes, Here’s how.

This recipe is a translated (and very slightly amended) version of a salmorejo from an awesomely enthusiastic Spanish chef who runs an organisation called Gastronomia y Fitness (@gastronomiayfit on Twitter, where I discovered him). He is 100% committed to wellbeing through food, fitness and eating well.

Super-delicious recipe

His salmorejo recipe is here. It is super-easy and super-delicious. Much simpler than gazpacho, and used in Spain not just as a soup but also as a sauce. Numerous dishes came with either a small dipping bowl of salmorejo on the side, or a thick smear of this delicious tomato-based puree on the base of the plate, when we were in Sevilla this summer.

Perfect for hot weather, I made some tomato glut salmorejo for lunch today and it took less than 10 minutes. Here’s how (serves two):

Throw 500g of ripe tomatoes and 75g of stale bread cubes in a powerful blender along with a small clove of garlic, 75ml of good olive oil and a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Blitz until smooth. Thin down with cold water to get the consistency you want (depends on whether you are eating as soup or using as a sauce / puree). Salt to taste (go easy!). Chill until needed.

Blitz your salmorejo
Blitz your salmorejo

Serve either as it comes, or throw on some healthy toppings such as hard boiled egg, herbs, or feta.

TIPS: I used the blender rather than the food processor for a more powerful chop, as I was using tomatoes from the freezer (from my homegrown glut) and tough sourdough bread cubes from the end of a stale homemade loaf. I didn’t bother peeling the tomatoes. It is easy to thin down further with ice cold water if it has thickened up in the fridge.

Thanks, Gastronomia y Fitness for your salmorejo inspo – keep up the good work!

Feliz cumpleaños, el Prado!

Prado Bicentenary logo

Glad I arrived in good time for yesterday’s Prado bicentenary event at the National Gallery: there was not a spare seat in the auditorium to hear the illuminating conversation between the directors of two of the world’s most famous art galleries.

On stage were Miguel Falomir of Madrid’s Prado, and Gabriele Finaldi of London’s National Gallery. Their conversation was a way for London to wish the Prado ‘Feliz cumpleaños’ – Happy Birthday!

It was the start of a programme of events marking the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Museo del Prado. The museum opened back in 1819, set up by King Ferdinand VII of Spain to showcase the Royal Collection.

European masterpieces

And what a collection it is: in addition to the Spanish greats Velázquez, El Greco, Murillo and Goya, the Museo del Prado boasts vast numbers of works by Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, Bosch and Botticelli. The condition of these masterpieces is immaculate, noted National Gallery Director Gabriele Finaldi, because they have not suffered the trauma of cleaning or reframing which occurs when works of art change hands.

They were largely commissioned by the Spanish monarchs of the Golden Age and installed in their palaces where they remained until the Prado opened in 1819.

“The worst treatment they have suffered is benign neglect,” said Mr Finaldi.

Those who arrived in time to grab a seat in the auditorium enjoyed almost an hour listening to the two gallery directors share their knowledge.

The National Gallery runs an ongoing programme of talks and lectures, many of them free. Check out forthcoming events at their website: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events

Find out more about cultural events organised by and with the support of the Instituto Cervantes in the UK here: https://londres.cervantes.es

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