Name: Cordoban Gazpacho
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 1/2 hours
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 (4-inch-long) piece baguette, crust discarded; 2 garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 12 whole blanched almonds; 1 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Andalusian hojiblanca); 2 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered; 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar (preferably "reserva"), or to taste; 2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped; 1/4 lb serrano ham or prosciutto, sliced 1/8 inch thick, then cut into julienne strips

Salmorejo Cordobés

In Córdoba, gazpacho is reduced to its most basic elements, with no cucumbers or peppers, and is known as salmorejo. It takes on a saucelike consistency but is still considered a soup and is served in small portions. It is scattered with chopped hard-boiled egg and julienne strips of serrano ham, both indispensable to achieving salmorejo's fullest flavor. Salmorejo is sometimes used as a dip.

Cooks' note:

·Gazpacho can be chilled up to 2 days.