Ajo Blanco

(Spanish Chilled Bread and Almond Soup)

Time & Yield

Time: 30 Minutes + Chilling Time (2 Hours - 2 Days)
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup blanched or Marcona almonds (6 ounces; 170g), plus more for garnish

• 3 cups (720ml) cold water

• 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, bottom removed (depending on how strong you want the garlic flavor to be)

• 1/2 lb. (225g) fresh, crustless rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)

• Kosher salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7ml) sherry vinegar, plus more if desired

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (22ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish and for serving

Recipe

1. Before you begin, a note - part of the stunning visual nature of this soup is that it is pure white. That means taking the extra time to de-crust the bread, use Marcona almonds (instead of traditional ones with the brown skin on), and cutting off the bottom of the garlic cloves, and using water instead of stock makes a difference

2. In a blender, combine the Marcona almonds (6oz; 170g) with the water (3 cups; 720ml) and garlic (1-2 cloves) and blend at high speed until milky; you may need to stop and scrape down sides of the blender a couple times

3. Then, add the bread cubes (1/2 lb.; 225g) and blend until very smooth. Season with salt (1-2tsp), then blend in vinegar (1 1/2 tsp; 7ml) and olive oil (1 1/2 tbsp; 22ml) until well combined

4. Transfer soup to a sealed container and refrigerate until very well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days

5. Thinly slice additional almonds and lightly toast until crisp, reserve

6. To Serve: Shake or stir soup well. Check consistency and thin with cold water, if desired. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt and/or vinegar, if desired. Pour the soup into chilled serving bowls. Spoon the sliced almond garnish on top, lightly drizzling more olive oil onto each serving in a decorative manner. Serve

Notes

• We used homemade sourdough bread to make this and de-crusting the bread was definitely a task, but the pure white color of the soup was very rewarding

• If Marcona almonds are not available, you can blanch regular almonds and then peel the brown skins off. Again, time consuming but worthwhile for the color effect

• Also, because this is a cold soup and the garlic is never roasted, the flavor is VERY strong, it doesn’t take much so either just use one clove or sauté the garlic in another pan before adding it to the soup (note sautéing the garlic may add some color)

Source: Serious Eats