This rich soup is a traditional Spanish recipe made with stale pieces of rustic bread, garlic, olive oil and salt. White Gazpacho, or Ajo Blanco, is quite flavorful and best served cool and in small portions. Add it to the menu for your next picnic and enjoy a sunny taste of Spain.
Picnic Weather
Ah, now we’re talking. Picnic weather is here! The clouds have finally cleared from the Pacfic Nothwest sky and brilliant blue spans western hills to mountaintops. The weather is finally gorgeous, so amazingly gorgeous it must be said that it was worth waiting for.
And people are out. They are everywhere, wearing their summer colors. When the sun shines in these parts no one fails to notice. No one gets passé or says, “No big deal!” Everyone, and I mean everyone, opens the doors and walks into the great outdoors.
Folks here climb mountains. Others drive to the beach. Some run, some mow their lawn, some sit in a cedar chair and read a book, some chat with neighbors they had forgotten they had, some garden….. but everyone participates. It cannot be said of those living in the Pacific Northwest that we take our natural asssets for granted. We see little enough of this gorgeous sunshine in a year and we know it. If it is out we are out there with it, case closed.
Ajo Blanco (Adventure in a Bowl)
For my part, I like to celebrate the sunshine with a picnic. A loaf of good bread, a bottle of wine or sparkling water, some cheese and olives are enough and make a wonderful repast. With weather so fine, these alone are enough. Sometimes though, I like a to kick it up a notch and add a little adventure to my picnic menu. I like to try new things.
Today I am trying a new soup, new to me anyway. White Gazpacho is a traditional Spanish recipe, It’s origin possibly dating back to Moorish times, and is particularly from the area around Andulusia. It is made with stale pieces of rustic bread, garlic, olive oil and salt. Where it varies from Red Gazpacho is in the addition of ground almonds and white grapes to this base rather than tomatoes. The almonds, a traditional product of Spain, are rich and this soup is quite flavorful and best served cool and in small portions. Add it to the menu for your next picnic and enjoy a sunny taste of Spain.
White Gazpacho
Course: SoupCuisine: SpanishDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutes3
hoursThis rich soup is a traditional Spanish recipe made with stale pieces of rustic bread, garlic, olive oil and salt. It is best served cool and in small portions.
Ingredients
2 cups day-old rustic bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
6 – 7 cups water, or as needed
1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
2 cups blanched almonds
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided use
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
16 medium green grapes, halved and seeded, for garnish
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds, for garnish
Directions
- In a medium bowl, soak day-old bread in 1 1/2 cups of water for 10 minutes. (If you use fresh bread this step is unnecessary.)
- Place the garlic and almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Process for 1 minute or until finely ground, scraping down the sides as needed to get an even texture. Add the bread and any soaking water, 2 teaspoons of salt (or less according to your taste), vinegar and oil. Blend until a smooth paste forms, approximately 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and blend for approximately 2 minutes longer.
- Transfer the mixture to a nonreactive bowl and stir in approximately 3 to 4 cups of the remaining water. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or until well chilled.
- Just before serving stir the soup well to mix in any ingredients that have settled. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Serve in small bowls or glasses garnished with grapes and the toasted almond slices.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe Source: Spain and the World Table from the Culinary Institute of America.
Melpy – I had hoped for better pictures. The consistency is very interesting, rich and creamy, and I hoped to show that. Thanks for stopping by!
I adore ajo blanco, thanks for showing some in process shots!
We LOVE gazpacho! Last summer we did a whole spread on it in Indulge Magazine. See it here!
indulge.journalgraphicsdigital.com/julaug09
Love this idea!!!!
Delicious summery recipe, perfect for a picnic!
What a nice addition to summer menus! The sherry vinegar would add lovely flavor to this soup. I've made something similar and garnished it with chopped tomato and cucumber. The grapes and almonds are much more fun.
grapes!! how unexpected! this is a wonderfully unique recipe, lisa–frankly, i'd enjoy just gazing at it lovingly, but a taste or two wouldn't hurt. 🙂