It’s time to officially welcome summer. And for this, nothing better than a typical dish of this time of the year: ajoblanco. As quick as it is simple to prepare, this cold soup becomes the ideal starter for any summer meal.
With a Malaga accent, and probably originated in al-Andalus, this dish is made with just a couple of ingredients: you only need bread, almonds, garlic, oil, salt, vinegar and water. These products are very reminiscent of another typical Andalusian “drink”. In fact, this dish is also known as gazpacho de almendras, alluding to the later version that became popular in Cordoba in this case with the arrival of tomatoes to the peninsula.
Recipe ajoblanco
You know the ingredients. And although in this type of dishes the quantities of the products are “by eye”, for this ajoblanco recipe we propose 150g of bread crumbs, 500ml of cold water, 100g of raw almonds, 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 1 clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, salt to taste and 6 peeled grapes.
It is, as we have already mentioned, a soup; therefore, a liquid dish. To prepare it, soak the bread for a few minutes and grind it in a food processor or blender with the rest of the ingredients except the oil. When all the ingredients are unified, we start adding the oil, little by little, to emulsify it. And that’s it!
Very simple and quick to make. Now all that remains is to cool it and add some accompaniment. In our case, a couple of grapes to add sweet notes to the dish. Among all the possible options, there are those who choose to add melon or even asparagus.
One of our most complete versions is the one offered by the Bolivar Restaurant Bolivar Restaurant (Madrid) in its tasting menu: ajoblanco base, very soft; asparagus from Navarra – the tips, which are in season; pine nuts and, of course, grapes.