Porra Antequerana

Ingredients

• 1 kgripe tomatoes — quartered
• 250 gstale country bread — torn
• 1green Italian pepper — seeded
• 2 clovesgarlic
• 150 mlextra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbspsherry vinegar
• 80 gjamón serrano — diced, to garnish
• 2hard-boiled eggs — quartered, to garnish
• to tastefine sea salt

Method

1. Begin by washing 1 kg of ripe tomatoes and 1 green Italian pepper thoroughly. Remove the core from the tomatoes and cut them into large chunks. Slice the green pepper into even-sized pieces, ensuring no seeds remain. Peel 2 cloves of garlic and slice them thinly. This even size ensures a consistent texture when blended later.
2. Take 250 g of stale country bread and tear it into small pieces. Place the bread in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle it with a little water to soften it slightly, but do not soak it. This will help the bread blend smoothly with the other ingredients.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, green pepper, and garlic with the softened bread. Add 150 ml of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar. Use your hands to mix everything together, ensuring the bread is well incorporated with the vegetables.
4. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until you achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. The texture should be thick and velvety, with no visible chunks of tomato or bread.
5. Taste the blended mixture and adjust the seasoning with fine sea salt to your liking. The flavor should be balanced, with a slight tang from the vinegar and a rich, fruity note from the olive oil.
6. Chill the soup in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld and the soup to become refreshingly cold.
7. Before serving, finely chop 80 g of jamón serrano and slice 2 hard-boiled eggs. Ladle the chilled porra into bowls and garnish each serving with a generous sprinkling of jamón and slices of hard-boiled egg. Drizzle a thread of extra virgin olive oil over the top for added richness.