Porra Antequerana

Porra Antequerana belongs to Antequera, in Málaga, Andalucía, and it is not just a thicker gazpacho. It is a cold tomato purée, dense enough to hold a spoon, made with ripe pear tomatoes, day-old bread, green pepper, garlic, vinegar, and good olive oil. Then come the toppings: hard-boiled egg, jamón, and tuna. That is what makes it porra, not its neighbour's salmorejo.

The method that decides it is the bread. Use a firm white country loaf with a close crumb, soak it with the chopped tomatoes until it drinks their juice, then blend hard before the oil goes in. Add the olive oil slowly while the blender runs, and the porra turns thick, pale red, and smooth. Add water and you have walked away from the dish. Dry line, but true.

If you are far from Antequera, use Roma or plum tomatoes when they are ripe and heavy. For the bread, choose day-old white country bread, not a sharp sourdough and not soft sandwich slices. The texture will be a little lighter than pan cateto, the dense Andaluz loaf, but it will hold. No hace falta haber pisado España. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and chill it well. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.