White Gazpacho

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Here's another one from Cape Town, South Africa courtesy of
Rosemary Zwick:

Our local newspaper ran several stories about a study that tied
female obesity to a virus. One evening my sister came home
exhausted from a long day at work. "Did you read the paper?"
she asked. "I'm not going in to work tomorrow. I'm calling in fat."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Most of the world thinks of Spain's tomato-based soup as the
prototypical gazpacho, but this soup predates its better known
cousin by several hundred years. You might think that grapes and
garlic make an odd taste combination, but I assure you that you'll
be pleasantly surprised when you taste this classic Spanish soup.

White Gazpacho (Ajo Blanco con Uvas)

1/2 lb (225 g) stale bread
1 cup (250 ml) blanched almonds
2-4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) white wine vinegar
Salt to taste
4 cups (1 L) water
1 cup (250 ml) seedless green grapes, halved

Soak the bread in enough water to cover for a couple of minutes.
Squeeze the water out and discard it. Combine the wet bread,
almonds, and garlic in an electric blender or food processor and
puree to form a smooth paste. With the motor running add the oil
in a thin stream, then the vinegar and salt. Add some of the water
to thin the mixture and pour into a large serving bowl. Stir in the
remaining water and adjust the seasoning with vinegar and/or salt
if necessary - the soup should be quite tangy. Serve at room
temperature or chilled, garnished with halved green grapes. Serves
4 to 6.
Received on Tue Jan 31 03:06:51 2006