Green Gazpacho with Almonds

We have learned so much about good food over the years from Guy’s sister Christine, one of the best cooks we know. This jade-green gazpacho exemplifies her style of cooking: healthy, beautiful, surprising, satisfying. She likes to garnish it with a swirl of plain yogurt, but we love the added crunch that comes from the fried nuts.

Ingredients

• 4 scallions, coarsely chopped

• 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

• 1/2 to 1 jalapeño, chopped

• 1 plump garlic clove, chopped

• 1 cup water

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• Kosher salt

• 3 cups spinach leaves

• 1/2 cup cilantro

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

• 1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

Onions, Etcetera by Kate Winslow and Guy Ambrosino

Directions

Combine the scallions, bell pepper, cucumber, jalapeño, garlic, water, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender. Pulse until the ingredients are almost smooth.

Add the spinach, cilantro, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the vinegar. Blend until the mixture is very smooth, adding a drop or two of water if necessary to thin the soup. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Refrigerate until very cold.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over moderate heat. Add the almonds and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and fry, stirring frequently, until almonds are golden brown and nutty smelling, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the nuts to a paper towel–lined plate to cool; season with salt.

Serve the gazpacho garnished with some of the fried almonds.

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Recipe reprinted from Onions, Etcetera by Kate Winslow and Guy Ambrosino. Copyright 2017, Burgess Lea Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group.