After reading that title, you’re either intrigued or weirded
out. Trust me, I understand. I was both of those things when Kelly first linked
me to this recipe as we were attempting to decide what to eat during our second
SMASH night.
The weird-out factors are two-fold: 1) almond soup sounds like something you wouldn’t want a whole bowl of, and 2) bread soup. I’ve made a few soups with bread in them before and I know it’s a classic thing to do, but I can never fully get past the “waaaaah, who wet my bread?” reaction.
 |
| Remind me to learn to take better pictures. It was so much prettier than this. |
The weird-out factors are two-fold: 1) almond soup sounds like something you wouldn’t want a whole bowl of, and 2) bread soup. I’ve made a few soups with bread in them before and I know it’s a classic thing to do, but I can never fully get past the “waaaaah, who wet my bread?” reaction.
Intrigue factors, however, outweigh: 1) oranges and mint in
a savory soup, 2) almonds are my second favorite nut, 3) roasted garlic is delectable
and 4) it's a Jamie Oliver recipe. Jamie always delivers in the taste department.
And boy, did he deliver. I mean, I really, really liked this
soup. The four of us definitely proved you could eat a big bowl of almond soup, eat the HELL out of it even. It reminded me of one of the things I love most about food—even after
eating it for 30 years, tastes can surprise me every day if I get just the
tiniest bit brave about it.
The thing that really gives this soup life and keeps it from feeling too heavy is the vinegar--always amazing what a little acid will do.It's got ZING, but the zing doesn't overpower the rest of the flavors. You really taste every element here, and it all totally works. You even taste the bread! But you don't get the soggy bread yuck mess because the whole thang is pureed--the bread just adds a fluffy body to the soup. (Fluffy Body, incidentally, is my pet name for myself.)
The thing that really gives this soup life and keeps it from feeling too heavy is the vinegar--always amazing what a little acid will do.It's got ZING, but the zing doesn't overpower the rest of the flavors. You really taste every element here, and it all totally works. You even taste the bread! But you don't get the soggy bread yuck mess because the whole thang is pureed--the bread just adds a fluffy body to the soup. (Fluffy Body, incidentally, is my pet name for myself.)
Jamie’s recipe called for a “large loaf” of ciabatta. I’m
not clear on international ciabatta sizing regulations, but what I got worked
out, so I assume a UK large is a US regular. I picked up my regular loaf at
this charming local bakery called Panera (shuddup it was Tuesday and it was
cold and it was on the way home and their bread is pretty decent). You'll only use the innards of the ciabatta in the soup, which leaves you some lovely, crispy breadskins that are perfect for dipping. (We said "breadskins" a lot.)
If you're even slightly intrigued, make this recipe. It's not going to taste like other soups you've had, and I heartily endorse it. Jamie also notes it can be served cold--and I'm very much looking forward to trying that with the tiny bit of leftover soup I tucked into the fridge.
As a bonus, if you like the sensation (as I do) of popping roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and slipping almond meats out of theirs--it's your lucky day! So much squeezie!
Kelly made some yummy mushy peas with pecorino romano, mint and garlic to start us off. The garlic and mint really made a lovely transition into the flavors of the soup. Good stuff. My pea addiction, though, may be getting out of hand at this point. I doubt anyone would be surprised if I went full Violet Beauregarde at some point.
As a bonus, if you like the sensation (as I do) of popping roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and slipping almond meats out of theirs--it's your lucky day! So much squeezie!
 |
| Poor almond carcasses. Never had a chance. |
Kelly made some yummy mushy peas with pecorino romano, mint and garlic to start us off. The garlic and mint really made a lovely transition into the flavors of the soup. Good stuff. My pea addiction, though, may be getting out of hand at this point. I doubt anyone would be surprised if I went full Violet Beauregarde at some point.
 |
| Mushy! |
(Smash was particularly odious last night, p.s. Much
groaning and lamenting did ensue. And J-Hud wore the SAME dress in two
different colors and totally acted all nonchalant about it like we were all too
oblivious to notice it was the SAME dress. DRESSGATE.)
Roasted Garlic, Almond & Bread Soup
Adapted from this Jamie Oliver recipe
Serves 4-6, depending on how reasonable you are about it
GET THIS STUFF
olive oil
1 white onion, chopped fine
3 bulbs of garlic, broken apart but skins left on
1 c raw almonds (or 1 c blanched almonds if you'd rather not blanch them yourself)
1/2 c heavy cream
4 c vegetable broth
2 T unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Jamie recommends sherry vinegar, but I used what I had and it was great)
1 loaf of ciabatta
3 oranges
handful of fresh cilantro
handful of fresh mint
DO THIS WITH IT
Heat oven to 350 F.
Put garlic cloves in a roasting pan and stick in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until squishy.
Blanch your almonds: Place them in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let sit for one minute, then drain and rinse with cold water. The skins will now slip off with just a bit of pressure from your fingers. You can also rub the almonds together to get the process started.
Heat a good glug of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium low heat, and cook your onions, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Add cream and vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove crusts from your ciabatta and tear the inside into rough chunks--set aside.
Remove garlic from oven and let the cloves cool for a few minutes until you can handle them.
Slip them out of their skins and add the roasted cloves to the simmering broth.
Add the torn bread and let simmer until it dissolves into the soup.
Add vinegar and cook another 5 minutes.
Transfer soup to food processor and blend until smooth.
Taste for seasoning, and then serve each bowl topped with orange segments, mint and cilantro.
Roasted Garlic, Almond & Bread Soup
Adapted from this Jamie Oliver recipe
Serves 4-6, depending on how reasonable you are about it
GET THIS STUFF
olive oil
1 white onion, chopped fine
3 bulbs of garlic, broken apart but skins left on
1 c raw almonds (or 1 c blanched almonds if you'd rather not blanch them yourself)
1/2 c heavy cream
4 c vegetable broth
2 T unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Jamie recommends sherry vinegar, but I used what I had and it was great)
1 loaf of ciabatta
3 oranges
handful of fresh cilantro
handful of fresh mint
DO THIS WITH IT
Heat oven to 350 F.
Put garlic cloves in a roasting pan and stick in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until squishy.
Blanch your almonds: Place them in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let sit for one minute, then drain and rinse with cold water. The skins will now slip off with just a bit of pressure from your fingers. You can also rub the almonds together to get the process started.
Heat a good glug of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium low heat, and cook your onions, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Add cream and vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Remove crusts from your ciabatta and tear the inside into rough chunks--set aside.
Remove garlic from oven and let the cloves cool for a few minutes until you can handle them.
Slip them out of their skins and add the roasted cloves to the simmering broth.
Add the torn bread and let simmer until it dissolves into the soup.
Add vinegar and cook another 5 minutes.
Transfer soup to food processor and blend until smooth.
Taste for seasoning, and then serve each bowl topped with orange segments, mint and cilantro.
No comments:
Post a Comment