How to cook Spanish cold soups

Spanish cuisine is famous for its huge variety of vegetable dishes, but very popular in the country itself and abroad enjoy cold soups gazpacho and salmorejo ahoblanko. In anticipation of summer, we will explain how to cook these dishes.

Gazpacho

The origin of this soup is obliged poor. Meat for them was too expensive, but the vegetables can be easy to grow, even on a small plot of land, so long gazpacho was a staple food of the poor Spanish. However, over time this soup has become incredibly popular around the world – so that’s the irony: what was once a food of the poor, today, do not stop there even kings.

The recipe of the classic Spanish gazpacho is incredibly simple. Only snag is that the chefs do not often agree on the ingredients used to prepare the soup. For example, there is a perception that this gazpacho – a spicy dish. But many cooks in Spain itself believe that in this soup in any case can not add hot peppers, which appears in many recipes adapted as gazpacho should be sweet.

Ingredients for a classic gazpacho – it tomatoes, green and red peppers, onions, cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar and croutons (optional). All components are added to the blender and beat until smooth. Only croutons served separately. Tomatoes need to pre-peel. To do this they need a moment to put in a saucepan with boiling water, then gently clean or just scald with boiling water (if they are very ripe and thin skin). To make the soup turned out as uniform as possible, you can remove the tomato seeds. Cucumbers should also be peeled and seeds.

Since gazpacho made there in the hot season, it can add ice cubes. Colder than this Spanish soup, the tastier. Ideally, along with the soup can be served with plates and components, of which it is composed – in this case one can add yourself what it lacks. Also worth noting is that many Spaniards prefer to drink this cup of soup, because it is cool and refreshing.

Ahoblanko – less popular outside of Spain, but also very well-known cold soup. Most often it is cooked in the autonomous region of Extremadura, the province of Malaga and Granada. Similarities and ahoblanko gazpacho is that in both dishes are used as ingredients in water, oil, garlic bread. However gazpacho – is primarily tomato soup. Ahoblanko same – a delicious dish, as it includes ground almonds, and it is served to the table, accompanied by grapes and melons.

To prepare the dish, as close as possible to the original ahoblanko, you can use the recipe of the famous Spanish chef Albert Herrayza.

Ingredients:

• peeled raw almonds – 350 g;
• stale white bread – 200 g;
• Garlic – 1-2 cloves;
• olive oil – 350-400 ml.;
• wine vinegar – 100 ml.;
• water – 1 liter.;
• salt and pepper to taste;
• white grapes.

The basic rule in cooking ahoblanko – good bread is to soften. So start cooking this soup need at least 14-15 hours before serving. Bread should first be soaked in vinegar, then put in a sealed container lid and add the same garlic, almonds, half a liter of water, 100 milliliters of oil, salt and pepper. Almonds can be pre-cook a few minutes in boiling water and cleaned of skin. Container must be put in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. After that – put the mixture into a blender and add the remaining oil and water.

With ahoblanko the same principle as with the gazpacho: the colder the soup, the more intense flavor it has. Therefore, before using the soup should be refrigerated. Also, you can add ice cubes. Just before serving the soup into bowls put grapes. Instead ahoblanko grapes can be served with melon, apple, cucumber, fried anchovies, baked potato and bacon.

Salmorejo

Salmorejo – cold tomato soup, very similar to gazpacho. It is made from tomatoes, bread, garlic and vinegar. Therefore, it can be considered a kind of fiscal famous Spanish dishes. However, for consistency it is thicker than gazpacho, and is often used as a dipping sauce. To the soup was a hearty, it adds boiled eggs and ham – Uncooked jerked pork ham.

Ingredients for salmorejo:

• white bread (stale) – half a baguette;
• tomatoes – 500 g;
• Garlic – 2-3 cloves;
• Olive Oil – 50 ml.;
• wine vinegar – 30-40 ml.;
• salt, ham, hard-boiled eggs, – to taste.

Bread should be soaked in water and leave for half an hour. Tomatoes – prepare as well as for gazpacho: peel and remove the seeds to obtain a homogeneous soup.

Pre-pressed bread, tomatoes, vinegar, salt, oil and garlic in a blender and put to transform itself into a homogeneous mass. During cooking salmorejo not be afraid to add more oil and vinegar. Once the soup is ready, you need to put in the refrigerator for several hours. Welded boiled eggs and ham are best cut into cubes and serve on individual plates. So everyone will be able to put in the soup as many additional ingredients as he wishes.

Today on the Internet you can find a huge variety of recipes salmorejo, but it should be understood that only through the classic recipe to make a meal, similar to what is served in Spain, and fully enjoy the uniqueness of this kitchen.