Cold Savoury Almond Soup
Ajo blanco
This traditional soup uses the 13th century technique of moistened bread as a thickener. In the summer, many Spaniards keep a bottle of this soup in the refrigerator to offer as a delicious tapa before a meal. Traditionally, this soup is served with green grapes as a garnish but Granny Smith apples are a wonderful alternative. My neighbour in Madrid uses a potato peeler to make elegant curls of tart apple to float on top of this soup. Serve with chilled dry sherry.
½ baguette
Cold water to cover the baguette
1 cup / 250 ml of blanched raw almonds
3 large cloves of garlic – blanched
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
1/3 cup / 100 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of sherry vinegar
3 cups / 750 ml cold water
Place the baguette in a bowl and cover with water. Leave for 5 minutes until the bread is soaked. Remove the bread from the water, squeezing the bread to remove most of the water.
Put the peeled garlic cloves in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with half a cup of water and microwave for 1- 2 minutes on High – allowing the garlic to boil for 20 seconds. Blanching the garlic this way gives the soup its wonderful flavour, while making it easy to digest.
In a food processor, grind the almonds and salt until the almonds are finely ground.
With the food processor running, add the bread soaked in water and the blanched garlic. Add the olive oil and then the sherry vinegar.
Finally, with the food processor on, add the water. Refrigerate until very cold. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Serve in small glasses as a tapa or in wide brimmed bowls garnished with cool green grapes or slices of tart apple as a first course.