MY KITCHEN IN SPAIN: ALMOND SOUP

Saturday, December 14, 2019

ALMOND SOUP—RUSTIC OR FANCY

Here’s a soup that can go from simple family supper to fancy starter for a holiday dinner party. Savory almond soup (different from the sweet almond cream soup served in Castille on Christmas Eve) is originally a rustic village concoction from the Alpujarra mountains of Granada and Almería. Consisting of nothing more than bread fried in olive oil, garlic and almonds that are crushed to a paste in a mortar and cooked in water, the soup is a version of winter gazpacho. It makes a filling and warming meal to feed a family.

Simple, but full of flavour--soup is thickened with almonds and bread. Saffron gives a golden hue.

But, use a home-made chicken stock instead of water and garnish with scraps of the famed Alpujarreñan serrano ham and, already, the soup is something special. Add chopped greens (escarole is typical, but I used chard from my garden) and a poached egg per person and the soup becomes a hearty complete meal.

A rustic version of the same soup, with chopped greens and a poached egg.

Or, use your imagination to turn the basic, rustic soup—caldo, or broth, thickened with almonds and bread—into a gourmet starter. Add chunks of sautéed lobster or scallops; a slice of foie gras; diced chicken or partridge; or pieces of vegetables so typical at the Spanish Christmas meal—cooked cardoons or cauliflower.

Almond soup has chunks of cooked cardoons (from a jar) plus pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds.

Special enough to serve to guests--almond soup, sautéed scallop and a sprinkle of (fake) caviar.

Savory Almond Soup
Sopa de Almendras

I picked the almonds, shelled them, blanched and skinned them.

I made stock using a chicken carcass plus a piece of añejo, old ham bone, as well as the usual aromatic vegetables. You could use any canned stock. If you use store-bought skinned almonds, make sure they are fresh.

Good idea: use three times the necessary quantity of almonds. Once fried in olive oil and lightly salted, they are ever so delicious to eat out of hand.

The soup should be the consistency of light cream. If it’s too thick after cooking, add a little additional stock or water.

Use dense, country bread.

Serves 4.

5-6 slices day-old bread (7 ounces), crusts removed
½ cup olive oil, divided
1 cup almonds, blanched and skinned
2 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
1/8 teaspoon cumin
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
¼ cup medium-dry Sherry (optional)

Option: chopped chard or other greens.

Choice of additions and garnishes:
Chopped serrano ham
Chopped hard-boiled egg
Chopped escarole or other greens
Poached eggs
Chunks of sautéed lobster or scallops
Diced chicken or partridge
Slices of cooked cardoons
Florets of cooked cauliflower
Slice of foie gras
Toasted slivered almonds
Chives

Chopped serrano ham to garnish.

Chopped parsley
Pomegranate seeds
Caviar
Olive oil “pearls”

Cut 1 ounce of the bread (1 or 2 slices) into 3/8-inch dice. In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and fry the diced bread, turning, until golden on all sides. Skim out and reserve the croutons.

Fried bread to thicken soup.

Add more oil to the pan, as needed. Fry the remaining slices of bread, turning them to brown both sides. Remove them.

Almonds fried in olive oil.

Add a little additional oil to the pan. Fry the almonds and garlic until golden. Skim them out.

Break up the fried bread slices and place in a blender with the fried garlic and almonds. Add 2 cups of the stock and blend to make a paste.

Crush the saffron with the cumin in a mortar. Add a little stock to the saffron, then add to the blender and blend again.

Heat remaining stock in a soup pot. Stir in the almond-bread-saffron paste (you can use an immersion blender to mix it). Season to taste with salt and pepper. If using escarole or other chopped greens, add them to the soup. Cook the soup 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the Sherry and cook 5 minutes more.

Serve the soup hot with the reserved fried croutons and your choice of additions and garnishes.