WHITE GAZPACHO WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND GRAPES

White Gazpacho with Toasted Almonds, Cukes, and Scallions

Same as above with Grapes

I've been on a Latin-culinary kick for a few weeks.  I don't know if it's the recent visit to Zengo, or that I have a supermarket close-by that specializes in Latin ingredients, or it's the mid-summer heat wave.  Anyway, this past week was full of mango, pineapple and avocado salsas, seafood paella, and gazpachos, both white and red.  I didn't have "sandwich" bread or white bread, but did have mini croissants, so that's what I used for the white gazpacho which was very good at first, sans grapes.  Then, I tried the leftover gazpacho with grapes, and now I know why grapes are part of the dish.  This is adapted from several recipes on the Net, one from Dovetail restaurant and another from Ellie Kreiger.  And, as a side note, Chef Marcus Samuelsson will be serving a white gazpacho next week at the Chefs & Champagne event.



Peeled and Seeded Cukes

4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

4 mini croissants (or sandwich bread), crusts removed
1/2 cup warm water
8 garlic cloves

1/2 cup chopped scallion

1/4 cup Sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted, divided
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup green grapes, halved

Reserve one cup of chopped cucumber for a garnish. Soak the bread in water until soft, about 2 minutes. Place soaked bread, the rest of the cucumber, the garlic, 1/4 cup of the scallions, vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the almonds, and 3 tablespoons of  olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until cucumbers are completely blended, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with pink salt.

All Ingrdients Ready to Blend

To serve, ladle gazpacho into a bowl. Mound reserved chopped cucumber, scallions, grapes and almonds in the center of the soup.