White Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 2 cups of crustless stale bread, broken into pieces
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup slivered blanched almonds
• 2 cups green seedless grapes, sliced in half
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1-3 chopped garlic cloves
• 2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Chives for garnish

Directions

1. Warm the stock until it is steaming, then take it off the heat. Stir in the pieces of stale bread and set the mixture aside to cool.
2. Combine the almonds, salt and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until the almonds are finely ground.
3. Add the soaked bread to the food processor, along with any stock the bread did not take in. Add the grapes and cucumbers, then pulse until you have a coarse purée.
4. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and pulse briefly to mix. Taste, then add the remaining tablespoon only if the soup needs more brightness, since the grapes may already bring enough acidity.
5. Start the food processor again and slowly stream in the olive oil while it runs. Stop the machine, taste the gazpacho, and add more salt if needed.
6. Chill the soup before serving, then finish it with chopped chives.