Andalusian Condiment Soup Recipes

CLASSIC ANDALUSIAN GAZPACHO RECIPE

Steps:

• Grab the vegetables listed, wash, peel, and chop them. They will be processed later so don't worry about the size. Cut the bread into pieces too.
• Put them into your food processor or blender, add olive oil, water, sherry vinegar, bread, and seasoning. Blend everything until your cold soup reaches a creamy consistency. If you want it runnier just add more water, and if you like it thicker add more bread.
• Taste in case it needs more seasoning. As an optional step, you can run it through a fine strainer, this will help you remove any seed or vegetable skin left.
• Take your gazpacho Andaluz to the fridge for 1 and a half to 2 hours, or chill it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Serve cold.

SOPA DE LENTEJAS (ANDALUCIAN LENTIL SOUP)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon just until it starts to brown a bit, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the olive oil, onion, and bell pepper; cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, sausage, and bay leaf; cook about 4 minutes. Add lentils and water (water should be about an inch deeper than the level of the lentils). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just cooked, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Put the potatoes into the soup and continue simmering until potatoes are cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

CLASSIC ANDALUSIAN GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Soak bread in 1/2 cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.
• Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife). Blend garlic paste, bread, 2 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, cumin, and half of tomatoes in a food processor until tomatoes are very finely chopped. Add remaining tomatoes with motor running and, when very finely chopped, gradually add oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute.
• Force soup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids.
• Transfer to a glass container and chill, covered, until cold, about 3 hours. Season with salt and vinegar before serving.

ANDALUSIAN CHICKPEA AND SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Drain the chickpeas and combine with 1 quart fresh water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add salt to taste and continue to simmer until tender, 30 minutes to an hour.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 2 of the garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, paprika and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down to a fragrant sauce, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the chickpeas with their liquid, the potatoes, wine, more salt to taste, pepper, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining garlic, the saffron and the spinach and simmer another 5 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

ANDALUSIAN CONDIMENT SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large stock pot (at least 16-quart capacity).
• Add oil and onions.
• Cook onions slowly, stirring occasionally until limp and slightly golden (about 1 hour).
• Sprinkle flour over onions and blend well.
• Gradually stir in tomato puree and stock (or water and soup base, see notes).
• Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Be sure to serve soup really hot as the condiments will cool it down.
• Fill bowls with desired condiments, then ladle soup on top.
• *In my opinion, lime, cilantro and sour cream are must-haves!
• I make the soup concentrated so it will take up less room in my freezer (essential since the last time I made it it would have been over 10 gallons of ready-to-eat!) To do this, follow the recipe through step 6, using only one quart of stock. I use the Minor's concentrate, and add the full amount necessary for the entire pot of soup.
• I freeze mine in 4- to 6-cup containers, because you will add the same amount of water, and with this soup, depending on what you are serving with it, some people may be eating less than a cup of it.
• When you are going to be serving the soup, put equal parts of concentrate and water in a pot and finish as directed in step 7.