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Garlic and Almond Soup with Grapes (Ajo Blanco Con Uvas)
For 6 servings
Cooking time: N/A
Ingredients:
150 g/5 oz whole blanched almonds
40 g/1-1/2 oz soft white breadcrumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
70 g/2-1/2 oz pine nuts
700 ml/1-1/4 pints iced water
salt
3 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
175 g/6 oz seedless grapes, to serve
| 1 |
Grind the almonds, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor-do not over-process or the nuts will become oily. Add the breadcrumbs and 125 ml/4 fl oz of iced water and process to fine puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. With the motor operating, gradually pour in the oil and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. |
| 2 |
Transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining iced water. Add the salt and vinegar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until required. Check the consistency before serving; if it is too thick, add a little more iced water. |
| 2 |
Transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining iced water. Add the salt and vinegar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until required. Check the consistency before serving; if it is too thick, add a little more iced water. |
| 3 |
Serve in a soup tureen, in a large glass bowl, or in individual bowls, floating peeled grapes on the surface.
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White Garlic Soup with Grapes
For 4 servings
Cooking time: 20 minutes + 1 hour refrigeration
Ingredients:
1 cup soft white bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 cups iced water
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup seedless green grapes, peeled
3/4 cup blanched almonds
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
| 1 |
Place the bread crumbs in a small bowl, add the milk and allow to saok for 5 minutes. |
| 2 |
Put the almonds, garlic and some salt in a food processor and process until fine (do not over process as the almonds may become oily). Add the soaked bread crumbs and process until just smooth, then add the olive oil gradually and process until the mixture is thick and creamy. |
| 3 |
Transfer to a large bowl and gradually stir in the vinegar and water. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour until chilled thoroughly. Season with salt and serve with the grapes floating on top. |
Iced Salad Soup (Gazpacho)
For 6 servings
Cooking time: N/A
Ingredients:
900g/2 lb ripe tomatoes
1 medium purple onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt
tomato juice (optional)
1 clove garlic, halved
2 medium-sized sweet long green peppers or ordinary peppers
4 tablespoons olive oil
about 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 small ridge cucumbers or 1 small green house cucumber
4 tablespoons soft white breadcumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
700 ml/1-1/4 pints iced water
GARLIC CROUTONS:
3 thick slices stale white bread
1 clove garlic, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
| 1 |
Peel and seed the tomatoes. Halve the peppers and remove the seeds and the membrances. Peel the cucumbers. Reserve 1 tomato, 1 green pepper, 1 small ridge cucumber or half a greenhouse cucumber, and half an onion. |
| 2 |
Roughly chop the remaining vegetables and puree them in a food processor with the garlic. Add the breadcrumbs, vinegar and oil and process briefly. Add the cumin if desired. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dice the reserved vegetables and place in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate until required. |
| 3 |
FOR THE GARLIC CROUTONS: Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1 cm/1/2 inch cubes. Heat the oil and the garlic in a frying pan until hot; remove the garlic. Add the bread cubes and fry until crisp and golden, stirring often. Drain on kitchen paper. |
| 4 |
To serve, pour the soup into a large glass or a pottery bowl and stir in the iced water or a combination of water and tomato juice if the tomatoes used were not fully flavoured. Garnish with s small amount od diced vegetables. Serve with bowls full of the remaining diced vegetables and the garlic croutons. |
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