Garlic + grapes = GREAT gazpacho
Remember when you used to clip recipes? I mean, the days when you’d take a pair of scissors and actually cut recipes out of newspapers or magazines? (Or, since I was usually too lazy to get up and find scissors, just rip-rip-rip around the edges, being sure none of the fractions in the ingredients got left behind.)
Those days are just about gone, replaced by downloading (or is it uploading?) recipes from food sites, accessing friends’ online recipe boxes, printing emailed recipes, and any other computer-aided, electronic recipe sharing you can think of. Facebook, MySpace, YouTube—even Skype has gotten onto the bandwagon. A group of home bakers called The Bakenistas, scattered all over the country, bakes “together” on weekends via Skype.
Still, it’s amazing how often I turn to my raggedy old recipe “book” for inspiration. Beginning in 1976, I cut and pasted recipes (REALLY cut and pasted, not virtually) into a blank-paged book whose spine has long since given up the ghost. Each time I open this book the much-thumbed pages rain like falling leaves onto my desk.
But that’s OK; I know their order by heart. And I can turn pretty quickly to the recipes I still use often: the cream of tomato soup, the mushroom toasts, and that over-the-top cinnamon-chocolate chip coffeecake (to be blogged someday—be patient!)
The following White Gazpacho is a great example. Although the recipe is now online at kingarthurflour.com, for years I followed the one in my book, a clipping whose provenance I’ve long since forgotten. And even now, when I tire of staring at the computer screen, I grab my recipe book, sit down in a favorite rocker (yes, it’s right here in the office, next to my desk), and visit with old friends; recipes that’ll never grow old, despite the tattered pages they rest on.
First, we’re going to make croutons. You can skip this step and buy boxed croutons. But once you see how easy it is to make your own—and taste how superior they are to packaged—you’ll never go back to store-bought. Start with a 1-pound loaf of plain white bread, the plainer the better: flour, water, salt, and yeast makes the best crouton bread. Cut the bread in 3/4” slices, and the slices into strips.
Cut the strips into cubes. A pair of scissors works very well here.
Drizzle the bread cubes with olive oil, and toss or stir to coat.
Bake till dried out and golden. The time depends on the temperature of your oven; save energy by ganging these with something else you’re baking. Set the croutons aside to cool. Beware: nibbling will quickly become addictive.
Next, you need another 12 ounces of plain white bread—about 3/4 of a 1-pound loaf. When I’m making this soup, I make two loaves of plain white bread in our kitchen bread machines: 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, and 7/8 to 1 1/8 cups water, depending on the time of year (more water in the winter, less in the summer). Put it all in the bread machine, press start, and about 3 1/2 hours later you’ll have two loaves of plain white bread. No joke! It’s not the most gorgeous loaf in the world (I prefer to use the machine to knead, and bake in the oven), but it works just fine in this application. Cut the bread into slices, put it in a bowl, and soak it in cold water to barely cover.
While the bread is soaking, toast some slivered almonds…
…and grind them in a food processor, along with the peeled garlic cloves and salt, till everything is mealy, but not pasty.
Squeeze the bread till you’ve wrung as much water out of it as possible. It’ll be squishy; put it in the food processor atop the ground almond mixture.
Process till thoroughly combined. The mixture will be pasty.
Add olive oil and vinegar, and process again. The mixture will start to become creamy.
Nex, add the chicken or vegetable stock and cold water, enough to make a rich, creamy soup.
Trust me; no one will EVER believe this soup is dairy-free! It looks and tastes like it’s filled with cream. If you use vegetable stock, it’s perfect for vegans and vegetarians.
Serve with those lovely crunchy croutons you made, and halved green grapes. Grapes and garlic? Sounds, uh, “unusual,” I know. But trust me—it’s superb.
Read our Recipe for White Gazpacho.
Buy vs. Bake
Since I couldn’t find a source to purchase this particular soup, at the store or in a restaurant, the comparison this time is simply croutons.
Buy: Packaged croutons, assorted brands, 17¢ to 40¢/ounce
Bake at home: Croutons, 10¢/ounce
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 am
This looks so interesting! With all that bread, it must be nice comfort food…
Unfortunately I am trying to do the south beach diet this week (I have an upcoming event) so this is like torture! I can’t wait to read other’s comments on the flavor. You’ve got to wonder how people come up with these ideas, thank goodness they do!
Marion, hang in there; when you’re in South Beach phase 2 or 3 again, you’ll certainly enjoy this! - PJH
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
More commonly called White Gazpacho, this is a variation on the Spanish red gazpacho. If you do a search for “white gazpacho” you’ll find dozens of sites with recipes for it. Almonds and bread are the standard. And yes, it’s delicious. Really delicious.
The nice part is, the recipe right here shows all the steps, AND I personally guarantee it’s delicious! - PJH
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Oh! I love gazpacho and garlic but NEVER would have dreamed of putting grapes into the mix.
And, why have I never thought to use my kitchen shears on bread?! That is brilliant! Bet it is quicker than my method of using ye olde bread knife too…
BC, I use my scissors for an unbelievable number of things in the kitchen. Not those clunky kitchen shears; just a big ol’ pair of plain scissors. Cutting pizza and focaccia (or any flatbread), cutting veggies, snipping scallions and chives, dicing meat for stir-fries, dicing bread, even cutting a cinnamon bun log into slices… I get very cranky when my scissors disappear off the pegboard here in the test kitchen! - PJH
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Hello. I’m back with a question, again. I love reading your blog, it gives me all sorts of things to bake. Can I use white wheat bread, or does it have to be AP in the bread? I’m trying to sneak extra grain/fiber into my family’s diet and wondered if this would work. Thanks
Yes, absolutely use white wheat bread. The taste might be a tad stronger, and the texture perhaps a bit grittier, but I predict neither will be noticeable. Have at it! -PJH
July 24th, 2008 at 8:58 am
What Bread Machine are you using to make TWO (2) loaves of bread in 3 1/2 hours?
Here’s the trick: TWO bread machines, Zojirushi X20s, my favorites. We have seven in the test kitchen… Lucky us! - PJH
July 24th, 2008 at 9:30 am
How many servings does this make? It sounds wonderful but there are just two of us.
This makes about 9 cups, about 8 servings. And it keeps very well. Invite someone over; or enjoy it for a week! - PJH
July 24th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Im so excited to try this recipe. I had a similar soup at Mishy’s here in Miami. PJ, thank you so much for your blog — I love it.
Jan, since you’re from Miami, wait till you see tomorrow’s post - Cuban sandwiches. I look forward to your response, since you have access to “the real thing.” - PJH
July 24th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Think I’ll make this to have in the fridge whenever my daughter & family get here Saturday afternoon or evening. It’ll be all made, no heating up the kitchen…thanks!
July 30th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Love to try different recipes so hurried to make the Gazpacho. Had everything except I had red grapes, which worked great. Cut the recipe in half for the two of us. Was so glad I had leftovers for the next day. It is hot and humid in Kansas this week so made the croutons in the microwave. This is a keeper recipe. Have so many I have printed from your site I had to make a notebook for them. Thanks.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:57 am
This is absolutely the best recipe I have tried this summer!!! Also it is beautiful in green bowls Thank you B
August 15th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I tried this recipe and was pleased with it. I love garlic but I think it was even too garlicky for me. I thought that maybe I would roast some garlic to see if it has enuf garlic without the bite. It could be my garlic was not as fresh as it should be. I don’t hv AP bread in my house so I used whole wheat and I made 1/2 a recipe since it is just my husband and me. The gazpacho was fine. I was surprised how much the grapes added to the soup. In south Texas this cool soup was a winner and will be made again.
August 16th, 2008 at 11:18 am
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August 18th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
What a wonderful sounding recipe…I love white soups like vichyssoise and Maine chowd-ah (which is thin and delicate), and I really like the sound of thickening the soup with bread, anything with garlic has to be good in my book and the grapes seem like a perfect counterpoint…needless to say I will be trying this soon! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Patricia - Hope you saw the bacon and cheddar scone blog, too - since it’s about Atlantic Baking Company in Rockland. I kind of have to disagree about Maine fish chowder - I lived in Camden for 15 years, and the weekly fish chowder supper at the American Legion featured a chowder that was thin, for sure (no thickening in the broth), but I wouldn’t term it delicate, since it was packed with potatoes, onions, and fish. Plain, and good. Ditto the strawberry shortcake which usually followed the chowder - also plain, and SO good. How’s Belfast these days? More arts than chicken, huh? PJH