Green Grape and Almond Gazpacho

Remember the days when Food Network actually aired cooking shows? There’d be Sara Moulton, earnestly explaining how to roast a chicken. Then Emeril would come on and BAM! out a jambalaya. These days if you turn on Food Network in the evening all you get is cooking competitions. But we’re not talking Iron Chef. No, it’s Cupcake Wars and Chopped and those unending Food Network Challenges featuring sulking pastry chefs making skyscrapers out of Rice Krispies treats.

So imagine my surprise when I turned on Food Network the other day and saw someone cooking. And the recipe was oddly interesting – green grapes, scallions, milk, almonds and lime juice all whizzed together in the blender to make gazpacho. Maybe it was the novelty of seeing someone cooking on the Food Network, but I was hooked.

I decided to give the recipe a try. The only change I made was to substitute almond milk for the soy milk to bump up the flavor of the almonds. It was good. Out of fairness I have to say that my grapes were on the tart side so, not surprisingly, my soup was too. With sweeter grapes, I think I’d have liked it a lot more. I also think I’d strain the soup before serving next time, to catch the little bits of grape peel.

Overall, this soup is a winner. It’s cool and refreshing, satisfying but not overly filling. It’s a healthy, easy, no-cook soup that really hits the spot on a hot day.

This recipe is from a show called 5 Ingredient Fix. Guess how many ingredients it has?

Blend the milk and almonds for a couple of minutes. The mixture won’t ever get completely smooth because of the ground almonds.

With the blender running, add the grapes, a few at a time, then the scallion and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to puree until everything is well blended.

You’ll end up with a beautiful, green soup.

Refrigerate for a few hours before serving to make sure the soup is completely chilled. Garnish with almonds, scallions and sliced grapes.

  

Green Grape and Almond Gazpacho

Minimally adapted from a recipe by Claire Robinson

2 1/2 cups seedless white grapes, plus more finely sliced, for garnish (make sure they're sweet!)

1 cup regular soy milk, chilled (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped, plus more thinly sliced, for garnish

1 lime, juiced

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper 

1.      Put the almond milk and almonds in the jar of a blender and puree until very smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.

2.      With the motor running, slowly add the grapes, scallions and lime juice; season with salt and pepper and puree until well blended.

3.      Strain soup through a sieve.

4.      To serve, pour into a small bowls and garnish with sliced grapes, scallions and slivered almonds.

Note: Gazpacho can be served immediately but is even better if refrigerated until very cold. Stir well before serving.

Serves 4