Ingredients

Serves 4

Salmorejo Cordobes

1kg vine ripened, soft tomatoes
1 garlic clove
250 g  stale bread crust removed
100 ml fruity extra virgin olive oil plus a little extra
1 heaped tsp salt
200ml chilled water
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
80 g jamón, diced
Aged sherry vinegar



Pulpo Alla Gallega Serves 6

3 legs of large octopus
6 large waxy potatoes / kipfler
Extra virgin olive oil
Sweet Spanish paprika.
Sea salt flakes
2 tbsp parsley chopped.

 

Method

Salmorejo Cordobes (Cordoba’s thick tomato and bread soup)

Andy the bar manager explains this classic cold soup as “The beach cricket of Spain – it screams summer.” For me it’s a celebration of the tomato. Real tomatoes. Sweet, tangy tomatoes at their vine ripened best. Home gardeners with a surplus of late summer tomatoes and a loaf of stale bread will find this a pleasing solution to their oversupply. A word of caution however; follow the ingredients and method meticulously as deviations may cause an imbalance of flavours. This is also a soup from my family’s home in Cordoba another reason to treat this dish with great respect.


Puree tomatoes and garlic and in a food processor. Strain tomato mixture through a chinois or course sieve, removing skin and any seeds.

Break the bread up into golf ball-sized pieces and place in a large stainless steel bowl. Pour the strained tomato mixture, olive oil and salt over the bread. You’ll need this amount of salt as it is a cold soup and anything served cold needs extra seasoning.

Using your hands squish the tomato into the bread, really working the liquid through. Allow it to stand for 15 minutes as the bread soaks up the liquid and tomato flavour.

Puree the entire mixture again in a food processor, adding water until the soup is the consistency of thick cream and a pleasing salmon pink colour. Chill.

Serve in bowls finished with egg, jamón a generous drizzle of good olive oil and a small dash of aged sherry vinegar.

 

Pulpo Alla Gallega (Gallician Octopus)

This dish looks best with a round section of octopus on a slightly larger disc of potato. If the potatoes are not round feel free to carve little circles. Place these on a small tapas size plate.  The idea of this dish is serve it fresh while it is still slightly warm.

To cook the octopus bring a large pot of unsalted water to boil. Meanwhile wash octopus under running water. When water is boiling fast, plunge octopus in for 15 seconds then remove. Allow the water to boil again then repeat four times allowing the water to reach the boil between the dunkings.

On the last dunking leave octopus in the water for approximately 40 minutes. It should be tender and the outside pink layer still intact. Carefully remove from water and allow to cool to room temperature. Reserve water

Cook the potatoes in the octopus water for about 20-30 minutes until they are tender. Remove and allow them to cool until cool enough then peel.

With a sharp knife slice the octopus tentacles into 1cm discs. Slice the potato into similar sized discs. Arrange the potato on several smaller sized plates and cover each round of potato with a slightly smaller piece of octopus. Drizzle each dish with sea salt flakes a little extra virgin olive oil, sweet Spanish paprika and finely chopped parsley. Serve immediately.