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Things aren’t always as they seem

By Nicole King • Published: 08 Oct 2020 • 16:53

I have lived in Spain for some forty years now and have known about the traditional Andalucian “sopa de ajo blanco” ie., white garlic soup, during all that time. So, things aren’t always as they seem
You, like I, may have been put off just by the name. A cold white soup made of garlic sounds like a social threat on humanity and perhaps cause of a system overload, even if partial to it.
This is why I was so particularly surprised to learn that the recipe requires but one half clove of garlic and is basically made out of almonds, making this a particularly healthy recipe.
Various studies show that by replacing 20% of your daily protein intake with almonds reduces wrinkles considerably, helps your heart function and cholesterol levels, rich in magnesium, potassium and Vitamin E, promoting the flow of nutrients and oxygen in the blood stream as well as calcium for our bones.
I just had to share this revelation with someone!
Not only that, whilst learning how to make it another eye-opener:to ensure that the garlic doesn’t repeat on you in any way, there’s a simple trick: simply remove “the heart” of the garlic before cooking.
The ingredients are also affordable and readily available. Apart from the almonds you will need bread, (pan de pueblo style–the thick soft country-bread type),a little virgin extra olive oil, a little vinegar, water, salt and as I mentioned previously, just one half clove of garlic.
I’m finding all this out as for the past couple of weeks I’ve been popping into La Rosticcería Marbella to catch up with renowned local chef Aitor Peruruena to record him making typical Spanish dishes for Marbella Now TV on RTV Marbella.
Hopefully by showing how easy it is to use local produce and whip up great traditional dishes, even for one, will encourage us to be more adventurous in Spanish restaurants and exploratory in the kitchen.
Another nice twist is that this is a totally vegan recipe making it ideal for my family and for many others of you out there and it takes but moments to make and can be made just for one or to impress at a dinner party.
Ideally the ingredients should be mixed and soaked overnight to allow the flavours to mélange but this is not essential if you want to make it on the spot. Using a couple of cubes of ice and part water when blending will help speed up the chilling process for immediate serving.
The next step is to simply blend the mixture on high speed, add a final drizzle of virgin extra olive oil before a final 10 second mix and either chill, or serve.

Grapes or slices of melon can be added if you really want to go all out or simply decorate with a fresh sprig of basil. A truly delicious and nutritious recipe that I have avoided for forty years; which is why I just had to share this with you to let you know that once again, things are not always as they seem.
Thank you for reading this article, “Things aren’t always as they seem”. Fore more columns by Nicole King, click here!
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Nicole King

One of Marbella's most glamorous residents, Nicole King offers a taste of the best of what's going on in the Costa del Sol.

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