AJOBLANCO, A SEASON CHANGER

 

White gazpacho with almonds, served with grapes, for the end of summer. 

As summer comes to an end and the season’s tomatoes begin to dwindle, the new crop of almonds arrives. It’s time to switch from red, tomato, gazpacho to ajoblanco, a white gazpacho. Ajoblanco, which means “white garlic,” is confected of almonds ground up with bread, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Served cold, the soup is slightly tangy, very refreshing. It’s a very old peasant dish with an elegant side.  Ajoblanco makes a good afternoon snack or a starter for dinner. 

The traditional finishing touch to ajoblanco is a few golden Muscatel grapes. The sweetness of the grapes is a terrific contrast to the tangy, garlicky soup. 

Ajoblanco garnished with pieces of fresh figs, crispy croutons and droplets of extra virgin olive oil.

But ajoblanco is like a blank canvas—you have alternatives when it comes to the finishing touch. Other fruits: mango, figs, apples, melon and raisins are typical, but, why not a slice of brilliant pitaya? Slivered almonds or croutons of fried bread for crunch. Black garlic or black olives for black/white contrast. Try smoked sardines or air-dried tuna (mojama) for a salty punch. And, always, a dribble of olive oil. 

Mango on a skewer.

The subtle flavor of extra virgin olive oil is essential to ajoblanco, which changes in character with the oil. As ajoblanco is quintessentially Málaga, I like to use a Málaga varietal oil, Hojiblanco. This is definitely the time to use your finest extra virgin of whatever denomination. 

So the grapes don't sink!

Grapes are not cooperative for the ajoblanco photo shoot because they sink to the bottom of the bowl! Food photographer Miriam García, who blogs at El Invitado de Invierno, gave me a tip: Place a smaller bowl upside down in the soup bowl. Pour over the ajoblanco, then rest the grapes on the submerged surface of the smaller bowl. That’s just for the photo though. For your guests, try draping the grapes over the side of the bowl or spear them on cocktail picks.

 

Remove green shoot.

Fresh garlic is best (July is harvest month for the esteemed ajo morado, purple garlic). Used raw, it is pungent, almost biting. You’ll be amazed how adding salt and vinegar to the soup tames the garlic. Be sure to split open each clove of garlic and, with the tip of a knife, remove the green shoot, the germ, of the garlic. Raw, it is bitter and, according to campesinos, country folk, it causes the garlic to repite, to come back up on you later.

Traditionally, almonds and garlic are crushed to a paste in the almirez, a brass mortar and pestle. A blender is quicker and makes a soup just as good. You will need to add enough water to the blender so that it will grind the hard ingredients.

Blanched almonds, left; almond meal, right.

I am using new-crop almonds that I picked, shelled and blanched to remove skins. You can also use packaged blanched and skinned almonds or ground almond meal (unsweetened). In a pinch, you could make a passable ajoblanco with (unsweetened) almond milk, bread, garlic and olive oil. Use toasted almonds to garnish the faux soup. 

The bread should be from a rustic, country loaf, preferably one-day old. Cut it into chunks, removing as much crust as possible before soaking it in water to soften. 

Thin the almond-bread mixture with water so that the soup is the consistency of light cream. If you like it really thick, use less water. Adjust the salt and vinegar as well. They are essential to balance the sharp taste of raw garlic. Chilling the soup somewhat damps down the flavors, so taste it again right before serving.

Pour the soup into a pitcher or jar with a lid and refrigerate until chilled. Stir the ajoblanco before serving it, in bowls, cups or glasses, garnished with grapes. 

Pinch off skins.

To make ajoblanco with almonds in their shells:

Crack and remove shells. One pound almonds in their shells makes approximately 1 cup (5 ounces) shelled almonds. 

To blanch and skin almonds: place the almonds in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and cover them with cold water. While the almonds are still warm, pinch off the tip of the skins and squeeze out the white almonds. Discard skins.

White Gazpacho (Cold Almond-Garlic Soup)

Ajoblanco

Garnish ajoblanco with grapes or sliced figs.

Serves 4.

6 ounces day-old country bread

4 cups cold water

7 ounces blanched almonds or a combination of almonds and almond flour 

2 cloves garlic

½ cup extra virgin olive oil + more to finish the soup

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

Grapes, to serve

Cut or break the bread into chunks, removing most of the crust. Place in a bowl and add enough of the water to barely cover it. Soak the bread until softened, about 15 minutes.

Place the bread, almonds, garlic and about 1 cup of the remaining water, enough so that the blender grinds the bread and almonds. Blend until fairly smooth. Blend in the oil, salt and vinegar until the mixture is very smooth. Blend in enough additional water to thin the soup to desired consistency. 

Chill the soup before serving. Serve the ajoblanco garnished with grapes. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil on the surface of the ajoblanco.

Fiesta del Ajoblanco in Almáchar (Málaga), Sept. 2, 2023. 

More versions of ajoblanco:

Ajoblanco Shooters.

Grilled Chicken with Ajoblanco Sauce.

Cold Almond Cream.(Mazamorra).

Ajoblanco with Apples.

Black and White Garlic Gazpacho.