richard We’ve gone cold soup crazy this month. This particular variety is based on the classic Ajo Blanco but with the cheeky addition of cucumber and watercress.
Preparation time: 15 minutes plus a few hours for chilling (the soup)
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Skill level: Easy
Serves: 4 starters, 2 mains
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cucumbers – cut into 1″ dice – reserve some for garnish (but cut it smaller)
- seedless green grapes – 150g – reserve some for garnish
- blanched skinned almonds – 125g – reserve some for garnish
- garlic – 2 cloves
- stale white bread – crust removed – 75g
- 4 spring onions – roughly chopped
- watercress – 100g
- cold water – 120ml
- olive oil – 80ml
- white wine vinegar – 80ml
- s & p
Soak the stale bread in water for 5-10 minutes and squeeze dry.
Boil the garlic in water for 10 minutes and drain.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth, season and transfer to a suitable bowl.
Chill for at least 2 hours.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with finely chopped cucumber, grapes and almonds.
Verdict: Pretty flippin’ good. Not at all sweet or grapey as I feared. More cucumber and garlicy. As gazpacho goes, this is almost as delicous as the classic tomato variety. Try it, you’ll like it!
Drink: A bottle of Nicolas £3.99 screw-top red, muy gustoso.
Entertainment: Spain running Spanish rings around the Russians in Euro 08. We do football on a supremely occasional basis. And not a glass of Carling in sight.
Looks like my kind of soup. Will try it before the end of summer!