Believe it or not, the first time I myself tasted this soup, for I had never felt particularly inclined to do so during my many trips to Spain, was at the Lodhi hotel in New Delhi in 2011, at a dinner hosted by my late father for the then foreign secretary. The Head Chef at the time, who has since very sadly passed away, was an extremely talented young man called Bhargav, and I would like to present this as a tribute to him …
… There are a million and one recipes for this dish, many incorporating bread and green apples, but believe me when I say that none of that is necessary, for what you want is the natural milkiness and bitter-sweet flavour of the almond to emerge, and simultaneously be subtly undermined by the garlic component. Do however remember to buy the large size raw almonds from your grocery store since the smaller ones tend to be overly bitter, and taste one from the packet each time just to be sure … and now onto the recipe of the Ajo Blanco we go.
YIELD: 6 Covers, for a second course portion of a 4 course meal
- 200g Unblanched almonds
- 200ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 large cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon sherry or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt depending on taste
- 340ml cold water
STEP 1 is to place the almonds in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them for 4 minutes, then drain in a sieve (STEP 2) and just by squeezing lightly with your fingers, you will pop each one easily out of its skin (STEP 3).
Next place your almonds in a food processor together with the whole garlic cloves (STEP 4), add the vinegar and the oil, making sure that the almonds and garlic are fully covered by the oil (STEP 5), and then blend (STEP 6).
Then gradually add the water and blend, in approximately 3 additions (STEPS 7 to 10). Then pour into a container and refrigerate until use.
Presentation of the Classic Spanish ‘Ajo Blanco’ Soup
Well, I simply like to pour it into a soup plate, garnish with droplets of olive oil , place one and half halved black grapes in the centre, with an edible flower atop, and scatter a few croutons around (FINAL IMAGE).
Above: Final Image