Cojondongo

As far as I’m concerned, Spain is the king of cold dishes – and this dish from the region of Extremadura is a prime reason why. To some people, Cojondongo would be considered a thick soup, but it is really a refreshing summer salad. Serve with a salsa verde, if you like.

Serves 4
For the Salad:
2 1 inch-thick slices rustic bread
6 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive
6 ripe plum tomatoes
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 cup quartered green olives

For the Salsa Verde (optional):
3 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup well-packed chopped parsley leaves
¼ cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
For the salad:
Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and toss in a mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the bread on a sheet pan and bake on the middle rack until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Set the croutons aside to cool.

Cut four of the tomatoes in half. Place a grater over a mixing bowl. Rub the cut surface of the tomatoes over the grater until all of the flesh is grated; discard the skin. Spoon the tomato pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Allow the pulp to drain for 30 minutes. Reserve the drained pulp. Finely dice the remaining two tomatoes.

Using a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic cloves together with the parsley and a pinch of salt to make a smooth paste. (The salt stops the garlic from slipping at the bottom of the mortar as you pound it down.) Whisk 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the vinegar together in a small bowl then stir in the garlic-parsley paste.

For the Salsa Verde:
Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt together until you have a smooth paste. Rotate the mortar while you mash, scraping down the garlic from the sides with the pestle. Add the parsley and keep mashing until the ingredients are well combined. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you continue to mash the paste, making sure the olive oil is absorbed. Then drizzle in 1 teaspoon of water and the vinegar. (Turn the pestle with a slow, continuous circular motion around the mortar as you drizzle the liquids into the sauce.) Keep the sauce at room temperature until ready to use; makes 1½ cups.

To serve, combine the croutons, peppers, diced tomatoes, scallions and olives in a mixing bowl and toss together. Pour in the dressing and mix well. Spread the reserved tomato pulp on a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Top with the bread salad and season to taste with salt. Drizzle with salsa verde, if you like.