It’s that time of the year again, when the tastes and flavors of Spain come in all their splendid deliciousness to Manila.
This year, Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM) promises to be an even more spectacular gastronomic congress than last year’s. With the theme “The Manila Galleon: East Meets West,” it celebrates the 450th anniversary of the galleon trade which linked Asia to the Western world.
To be held April 7-9 at the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia, MFM 2016 will have more diversity, with participating chefs coming from as far as the United States (Leah Cohen of Pig & Khao), Peru (Virgilio Martinez of Central) and Mexico (Oscar Calleja of Annua, Enrique Olvera of Pujol and Jorge Vallejo of Quintonil) and as near as Indonesia (Kevin Cherkas of Cuca), Hong Kong (Nurdin Topham of NUR), Thailand (David Thompson of Nahm), South Korea (Yim Jung-sik of Jungsik) and Japan (Yoshihiro Narisawa of Narisawa).
Of course, Spain will be amply represented, too, with five chefs: Fernando Perez Arellano (Zarana), Jodi Butrón (Espai Sucre), Ricard Camarena (Ricard Camarena), Dani Garcia (Dani Garcia) and Joan Roca (El Celler de Can Roca).
As the host country, the Philippines will have three chef-presentors: Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan of Purple Yam; Tatung Sarthou; and Michael Aspiras of Scout’s Honor and Le Petit Soufflé.
Topics to be discussed will be equally as diverse, from cooking methods to flavors that sailed across the sea and the borrowed food that the Filipinos have made their own (and that is plenty).
As a prelude to the main events, the Spanish Embassy’s Economic and Commercial Office, ICEX and the European Union held a Tapas Night last Saturday at the Green Sun Hotel. Because I was in Hong Kong last weekend, I was unable to attend and just had to content myself with reading the mouthwatering menu sent by Jun Santos of the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office.
Various regions of Spain were represented during the tapas feast, with dishes that included Jamón Serrano sushi, Iberian pork cheek and corn patties, suckling pig with sun-dried Rioja pepper sauce and Asturias bread pudding.
Not to be deterred, I’ve created my own tapas at home: salmorejo, a cold tomato soup that’s a creamier cousin of the popular gazpacho. This soup represents so much of what Spanish cuisine is all about: freshness of ingredients, the use of olive oil and a topping of the very best ham Spain has to offer.
What’s more, it’s not only easy to prepare, it’s also a good start to a summer’s meal. With no cooking required, (therefore no heat from the stove), it’s also chilled, making it cooling and refreshing on a sultry summer’s night.
‘Salmorejo’
½ loaf baguette, sliced (about 12 pieces)
3 cups mineral or purified water (see tips)
500 grams ripe tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Spanish Iberico ham or Jamón Serrano
Soak the sliced baguette in the three cups water. Meanwhile, cut out the stem ends of the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes in halves and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into chunks.
Put the tomatoes and garlic cloves in a food processor or in a blender. Process until the tomatoes start to liquefy. Strain the sliced baguette through a sieve and press out as much of the water as you can. The baguette slices will be very soft and mushy.
Add these to the tomatoes and garlic in the blender. Season with salt and pour in the olive oil. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a glass container, cover the container and chill in the refrigerator.
When ready to serve, pour the salmorejo into individual soup bowls and garnish with the hard-boiled eggs and Iberico ham or Jamón Serrano. Makes about four servings.
Cook’s tips
Since this soup is not cooked, it’s important that you use purified or bottled mineral water for soaking the bread.
Likewise, wash the tomatoes and drain them well before using.
Much of the flavor of this soup is derived from the olive oil. Hence, use very good quality extra-virgin Spanish olive oil.
Because the soup has to be chilled, prepare this well in advance before serving.
