Everyone knows gazpacho, which is made from tomatoes, cucumbers and other things, but it’s just a taste of a Spanish culinary tradition: cold soup.
The oldest of these soups is probably Ajoblanco, a recipe that is as simple as it is delicious based on bread, almonds, oil, vinegar and, of course, garlic.
While gazpacho could only exist after the Spanish brought tomatoes from America, ajoblanco has its origins in classical antiquity.
It is said that the soup descended from a porridge that the Romans made with bread and vinegar. The Arabs who occupied the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages may have been responsible for popularizing almonds in the region.
Today, Ajoblanco is considered the gastronomic heritage of Malaga, in Andalusia, the very part of Spain that best preserves the cultural legacy of the Moorish occupation.
Preparing ajoblanco is ridiculously easy: just puree all the ingredients in a blender. The shopping list for this recipe might seem a bit simplistic, but all of the elements fit the flavor balance perfectly.
The bread is the mortar, the food of the judgment. Almonds and olive oil provide greasiness and more complex flavors. Garlic and vinegar will spice up a mixture that would otherwise be flat and dull.
The bittersweetness of the grapes, added when serving, balances the tangy garlic.
Ajoblanco is a great solution to using stale bread. Most recipes call for you to soak stale bread in water, but this is only necessary if it’s really hard.
The almonds must be skinless. If you can’t buy shelled almonds, remove the skin by boiling the almond for a few minutes.
Ideally, you should prepare this soup with two types of olive oil. Use a mild oil to whip the ajoblanco a very intense oil will make it slightly bitter and nauseating and a more flavorful one to drizzle over when serving. If you only use one kind, stick to the mild one.
I used sherry vinegar, something typical of Andalusia and with a distinct flavor profile because I already had a jar in the pantry. Any wine vinegar works well in this recipe.
The name Ajoblanco literally means “white garlic”. The recipe calls for just a clove of garlic against a pile of bread, almonds, and olive oil. Nevertheless, garlic prevails in the overall result.
It is important to serve the ajoblanco chilled and in measured portions as an appetizer. The taste of the animal is delicious, but it is fierce.
AJOBLANCO
Yield: 4 servings
Difficulty: easy
ingredients
100 grams of chopped bread
100 g skinless almonds
100 ml olive oil
350ml of water
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
Seedless green grapes, olive oil and black pepper for garnish
way to do
1. Whip everything except the side dishes in a blender until smooth. Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
2. Store the soup in a covered saucepan and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with green grapes, a drizzle of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
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