Called ajo blanco – white garlic soup – this
is a Moorish recipe of ancient origin. It is a perfect balance of crushed
almonds, garlic and vinegar in a smooth purée enriched with olive oil.
Although today we
use a food processor or blender to break down the bread, almonds and garlic, in
days of old this grinding would have been done with a pestle and mortar.
To accentuate the
flavour of the almonds, dry roast them in a frying pan until they are lightly
browned before grinding them. This will provide a slightly darker soup.
Ingredients:
115g stale white bread
250ml blanched almonds
2 garlic cloves, sliced
75ml olive oil
25ml sherry vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Garnish:
Toasted flaked almonds
Green and black grapes, halved and seeded
Fresh chives, chopped
Method:
Break the bread into a bowl and pour 150ml cold water
over it. Leave to soak for about 5 minutes, and squeeze the bread dry.
Put the almonds and garlic in a blender and process until
very finely ground. Add the soaked white bread and process again until
thoroughly combined. Continue to process, gradually adding oil until the
mixture forms a smooth paste. Add the sherry vinegar, followed by 600ml cold
water and process until the mixture is smooth.
Transfer the soup to a large bowl and season with salt
and pepper, adding a little more water if the soup is very thick. Cover with
cling film and chill for 2 hours or more.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Scatter the almonds, halved
grapes and chopped chives over to garnish.
Serves 6
