There are many popular Spanish recipes that can be found the world over and the chilled soups from Andalusia are among them. Gazpacho the chilled red soup made from a base of tomatoes is extremely popular but it´s lesser known and respected white cousin Ajo Blanco, literally translated as white garlic is an up and coming star in the chilled soup circles.
Try this easy Ajo Blanco recipe with its base of almonds and discover how delicious and refreshing it is. Spread the word and share your find at your next dinner party and you´ll need to have the recipe on hand to share with your diners.
Enjoy a taste of Andalusian summers with this recipe.
Ajo Blanco
Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 4 slices stale white bread without crusts
- 850ml iced water
- 220g almonds blanched and peeled
- 2 cloves garlic 3 tbsp extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
- 3 tbsp Spanish sherry vinegar
- 20 seedless green grapes
- 1/2 cantaloupe melon
Method
Tear the bread into pieces and pour a cup of the iced water over it and leave to soak.
Put the almonds and the garlic into a food processer and form a fine textured paste then add about 100ml of the iced water, process some more then squeeze the water out of the bread and add it to the almond mixture. Process again.
Slowly add the olive oil and 2 tbsp of vinegar, then the iced water until you get a consistency of single cream. Season with salt and a little extra vinegar if needed.
Sieve the soup and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. Put the grapes and melon in the fridge to chill too.
Before serving, cut the grapes in half and keep 20 halves back to use as a garnish. Then use a melon-baller and put the balls in a bowl with some black pepper and a little salt.
Put some grape halves and melon balls into the middle of each of the four soup bowls. Pour on the ajo blanco soup to cover. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and the reserved grape pieces.
Serve up the dish with green olives and crusty bread and the invitable glass of Spanish sherry like a fino or a manzanilla.
Aproveche!
Don´t forget to drop by and leave a comment if you try this recipe, share with us whether you are a convert to chilled white soup or not.
Rachel L. Webb - Rachel L Webb lives in and writes mainly about Andalucia. She enjoys exploring the region and shares her explorations through her website ...
