This is an unusual soup, with flavors that may mystify but undoubtedly will please your guests. It’s often served cold—and called a gazpacho—but I like it equally well hot.
Ingredients
makes 4 servings5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 160 or 162), or water
1 cup dry white wine or water
1 bay leaf
2 fresh parsley sprigs, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup blanched almonds
1 onion, sliced
4 thick slices French or Italian bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
Step 1
Place the stock and wine in a large saucepan with the bay leaf and parsley sprigs and turn the heat to medium-high; when the first bubbles appear, turn the heat to low and maintain a gentle simmer.
Step 2
Meanwhile, put the oil in a skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the almonds, onion, and bread and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly; remove about a quarter of the bread cubes and set aside.
Step 3
Place the remaining almond mixture in a food processor with the saffron and cumin. Process until the mixture is a smooth paste. With the machine running, slowly pour 1 cup of the broth into the almond paste to blend.
Step 4
Remove the bay leaf and parsley sprigs from the broth and stir in the almond paste. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary, then garnish with a few parsley sprigs and the reserved bread cubes and serve.The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.