SOME LIKE IT HOT

 

Hot almond soup, quick to make with almond milk.

Last summer when I was sweltering I got the cool idea to make ajo blanco—white gazpacho with garlic and almonds—using store-bought almond milk. Never mind shelling a pile of almonds. The mood passed and I never tried it. Today I see that the expiry date on that carton of almond milk is a week away. I certainly don’t want it to go bad.

Transitioning into spring, I still want hot soup for lunch. Why not hot ajo blanco? Sounds weird, but it’s delicious! 

Almond milk is a product that has been around since medieval times. In Europe it cannot be labelled as “milk” (leche). It is labelled bebida de almendras, or "almond drink". The supermarket brand of almond milk that I purchased contains 4.5 percent almonds. The rest is water. It is fortified with vitamins. Almond milk needs to be refrigerated once opened and used within three days.  Almond milk is available both sweetened and unsweetened. For this recipe use unsweetened, unflavored almond milk. 

Chilled ajo blanco, a Málaga specialty, is usually served garnished with sweet muscatel grapes. I've used D.O. Málaga raisins  instead of grapes for the hot version. Málaga raisins need to be seeded. 

The soup is vegan, but can be embellished with chopped serrano ham or diced cooked chicken if desired. Fried sliced almonds and garlic chips make a crunchy garnish. Serve croutons of fried bread to accompany. The soup makes a lovely starter for a dinner party.

You can make the soup in advance, but you will need to blend it again before reheating as it becomes lumpy in cooling. Thin it with water if needed.

To make croutons of fried bread to accompany the soup: Cut 1 or 2 slices of bread into 3/8-inch dice. In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the diced bread, turning, until golden on all sides. Skim out and reserve the croutons.

I may yet try making chilled White Gazpacho using almond milk. Summer is right around the corner.

Garnishes make the soup: slivered almonds, garlic chips and sweet Málaga raisins.  A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve croutons of fried bread to accompany the soup.

The soup is vegan, but you can garnish with chopped ham if you like.

Hot and Savory Almond Soup

Ajo Blanco Caliente

Swap almond milk for almonds.

Serves 4.

4 ounces bread (6 baguette slices) + more if making croutons of fried bread

6 cups unsweetened almond milk

¼ cup Málaga muscatel raisins

3-4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup olive oil + additional to finish

¼ cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

Croutons of fried bread

Break or slice the bread into chunks. Place them in a bowl or pan and add 3 cups of the almond milk. Let the bread soak until softened, 15 minutes.

Remove stems and seeds from the raisins and set them aside. (If using raisins that are very dry, soak them in hot water to cover for 5 minutes.)

Coarsely chop 1 or 2 cloves of the garlic and add to the bread. Slice remaining 1 or 2 cloves of garlic crosswise. Heat the oil on medium heat in a small skillet. Add the almonds and sliced garlic. Fry them until golden. Remove the skillet from the heat and skim out the almonds and garlic onto a paper towel. Reserve them to garnish the soup. Let the oil cool.

Use an immersion blender to blend the bread, almond milk, and garlic until very smooth. Blend in 2 cups of the remaining almond milk, salt, and vinegar. With the blender running, slowly add the oil. 

Place the pan on medium-high heat, stirring frequently. When the soup begins to simmer, lower heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The soup will thicken as it cooks. Add remaining almond milk (or water) to thin it to desired consistency.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Garnish with raisins, fried almonds and garlic. Drizzle a little oil on top. Serve accompanied by croutons.

More recipes for ajo blanco and other versions of almond soup:

Chilled ajo blanco with grapes.

The real deal, White Gazpacho with Grapes. Chilled almond-garlic soup garnished traditionally, with grapes.

Ajo Blanco Sauce with Grilled Chicken and Figs.

Cold Almond Cream (Mazamorra).

White Gazpacho with Pine Nuts.

Black and White Garlic Gazpacho.

Savory Almond Soup.

Sweet Almond Soup.

Almond-Gazpacho Sorbet.