eclaire (what’s in a) name?

after making red (ie normal) gazpacho a few weeks ago, i was excited when i found a recipe for white gazpacho – a real twist on the normal kind – in the september issue of vegetarian times.

as i read the recipe more thoroughly, i was pleasantly surprised to see that this version of gazpacho is almost ridiculously quick and easy to make. you simply have to measure some grapes, almonds, almond milk, vinegar, and olive oil, then roughly chop onions and cucumber, throwing all of the ingredients into the blender as you go. in think we had the whole dish ready to go in less than 15 minutes – which rivals my other fastest recipe of all time, chick pea tacos.

before i get too carried away with the speed at which this recipe comes together, let me assure you that i enjoy making recipes that take a long time to simmer and bake. but on a weekday night after a long day at work and then a swim or run at the gym, mike and i treasure the recipes that are almost effortless.

all effortless and speediness of this recipe aside, it’s absolutely delicious. even if it took a lot longer to make, i would still take the time for this one. the almonds give a heartiness to the soup that’s lacking in regular gazpacho, and the grapes and cucumber add a nice touch of sweetness as a counterpart to the bitter arugula. to complement the other flavors, the onions and vinegar balance the sweet and creamy with some tang. and, for all of you top chef masters groupies out there (the link has a major spoiler alert – please don’t click if you haven’t watched the last episode!), the week that we made this hubert keller made white gazpacho during a competition. how exciting! do you need any more reasons to make this soup?!?

white gazpacho

adapted from vegetarian times
yields 6 servings

• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1¾c green seedless grapes, divided
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
• ¾c slivered almonds, divided
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4c almond milk (soy, rice, or dairy would prob work just as well)
• 2T white vinegar
• 1T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1c arugula
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1. blend onion, 1½c grapes (the rest will be garnish), cucumber, ½c almonds (the rest will be garnish), and garlic in blender or food processor until smooth
2. add milk, vinegar, and oil, and continue to blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper
3. pour gazpacho evenly into four bowls, then halve the remaining grapes and garnish with them and the remaining almonds
4. divide arugula between bowls and serve with hearty bread