2 cups of good quality breadcrumbs (ideally made from stale white bread with the crusts cut off) just moistened thoroughly with a bit of water.
1 cup of ground almonds (you can make these yourself by blanching and skinning almonds and using them whole in the recipe. However, it is easier to buy ground)
3 garlic cloves (skinned)
½ cup good quality olive oil
5 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 cups water
2 cups of chopped green or red seedless grapes
Directions
1
Squeeze the moistened breadcrumbs to get rid of any excess water and put them in a cuisinart (magimix, food mill – help – not sure what it is called in the USA. The thing that is NOT the blender but I guess you could do this in a blender. I’ve never tried, I don’t own one!) with the chopping blade in it.
2
Add the ground almonds and the garlic cloves and blend thoroughly.
3
With the motor on, add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream and then add the vinegar and the salt.
4
Add about 1 cup of the water (be careful not to overfill your machine) and then decant the mixture into a big bowl and whisk in the rest of the water.
5
Chill overnight or for several hours at least.
6
To serve: Chop up the grapes and distribute between 8-10 bowls. Then ladle over the cold soup and serve immediately. This soup is surprisingly filling and goes beautifully with a plain salad that has a simple oil and vinegar dressing. The sharpness of the salad compliments the garlicky richness of the soup. If serving bread with it, a plain white, good quality “airy” and crusty bread goes well. Nothing too rich or heavy.