Malaga Almond Gazpacho Recipes

MALAGA ALMOND GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Soak bread in 1/2 cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.
• Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife). Blend garlic paste and almonds in a food processor until nuts are as smooth as possible. Add bread and 1 tablespoon vinegar and, with motor running, add oil in a slow stream, then add ice water and blend well. Force purée through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids.
• Transfer soup to a glass container and chill, covered, until cold, about 3 hours. Season with salt and vinegar before serving.

1968: MáLAGA GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in the container of an electric blender. Blend at high speed, pausing now and then to scrape down with a rubber spatula as necessary.
• Pour the mixture through a large sieve placed inside a mixing bowl. Press and stir with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Taste soup for seasoning and add more salt and vinegar if desired. Chill thoroughly before serving.

WHITE GAZPACHO WITH MELON, GRAPES, AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Put the blanched almonds in a blender with 1/4 cup of the lemon juice. Puree until totally smooth, then add the bread and melon and puree again. You will most likely need to puree the melon in batches. After pureeing one batch, pour out all but one cup of the liquid and then add the next batch. Season well with salt and white pepper. If the soup needs more acid, add the remaining lemon juice. If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water, but if the melons are really ripe, this shouldn't be a problem. Serve slightly chilled. Garnish with toasted almonds, grapes, and a swirl of creme fraiche.

ALMOND GRAPE GAZPACHO

Steps:

• For the gazpacho: Place garlic cloves in a small pan of cold water over high heat. When water comes to a boil, strain garlic and chill until needed. Cover stale bread cubes with water and allow to sit until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Squeeze all the water from bread and put into a blender with almonds, grapes and garlic cloves. Season with a bit of salt and purée until mixture is very smooth, almost like mashed potatoes; if necessary drizzle in a bit of water to help mixture to purée.
• Place 1 cup ice-cold water in a measuring cup. Place olive oil in another cup. With blender running, slowly drizzle in both liquids, simultaneously, through opening of blender. Gazpacho will turn very smooth and silky. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar or more, if desired. Adjust salt to taste. To thin soup, if desired, add 1 to 3 tablespoons cold water, one tablespoon at a time. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until very cold, about 2 hours.
• For garnish and serving: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle oil over diced bread and sprinkle with salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, and add grapes, almonds and scallion. Add a drizzle of oil and a small sprinkling of vinegar and salt. To serve, ladle gazpacho into four chilled soup plates. Add garnish, and drizzle with more oil.

WHITE GAZPACHO MALAGA-STYLE

Steps:

• Slip off almond skins while they're still hot and discard the skins.
• Place the almonds in a food processor, adding the garlic and bread. Process until a smooth paste forms. Next, add the egg, vinegar, olive oil, water, and sugar. You should now have a medium-thick soup. If you desire a thinner consistency, add additional ice water.
• Strain, season to taste with salt and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
• When ready to serve, ladle the soup into 4 soup bowls. Cut the grapes in half, and garnish each bowl with 8 grape halves.

MALAGA GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in the container of an electric blender. Blend at high speed, pausing now and then to scrape down with a rubber spatula as necessary.
• Pour the mixture through a large strainer placed inside a mixing bowl. Press and stir with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
• Taste soup for seasoning and add more salt if desired. Chill thoroughly, as much as 24 hours, before serving.

GAZPACHO AJO BLANCO

Steps:

• Cover bread with cold water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cover garlic with water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes; drain.
• Pulse blanched almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Squeeze excess liquid from bread, and transfer bread to food processor. Add cooked garlic, vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Puree mixture until smooth. With machine running, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream, alternating with cup cold water, blending until emulsified. Blend in remaining 2 1/4 cups cold water. Strain through a fine sieve until smooth, discarding solids. Season with salt. Refrigerate gazpacho until chilled, at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide chilled gazpacho among 6 bowls or glasses. Drizzle with oil and top with grapes, and Marcona almonds if desired, just before serving.