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Almond and cucumber soup

Name: Almond and cucumber soup
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 2 slices rustic white bread, 1-2 days old, crusts removed; 2 pinches saffron threads; 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil; 200g whole blanched almonds; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tsp ground cumin; 300g cucumber, peeled and deseeded, plus extra, unpeeled; 200ml olive oil (not extra virgin); 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Published: 31 May 14
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Try this chilled summer soup recipe made with almonds and cucumber – it works well added to a flask and shared at a picnic.

Easy
June 2014

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6
Hands-on time 25 min

Try this chilled summer soup recipe made with almonds and cucumber – it works well added to a flask and shared at a picnic.

Vegetarian recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 472kcals
Fat: 44.5g (5.2g saturated)
Protein: 8.7g
Carbohydrates: 9.4g (2.4g sugars)
Fibre: 0.7g
Salt: 0.2g

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Ingredients

2 slices rustic white bread, 1-2 days old, crusts removed
2 pinches saffron threads
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
200g whole blanched almonds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
300g cucumber, peeled and deseeded, plus extra, unpeeled
200ml olive oil (not extra virgin)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

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Method

Put the bread and 1 pinch of saffron in a bowl with 250ml cold water. Set aside for 15 minutes. Put the remaining saffron in a small sealable jar with the extra-virgin olive oil.
In a blender, whizz the blanched almonds to a powder, scraping down the sides if necessary. Add the garlic and cumin, then whizz again until everything is thoroughly mixed.
Whizz the soaked bread (keep the liquid) with the almonds. Cut the 300g cucumber into pieces and whizz with the almond mixture until combined. Add the oil, vinegar, a twist of black pepper and 1 tsp salt, then whizz until smooth, scraping down the sides.

Add the bread soaking water and whizz until smooth. Add more cold water if necessary (see tip), until it has the consistency of pouring cream.
Taste and whizz in a little more salt if needed. Chill, then tip into a vacuum flask to keep cool. Just before setting off, cut the extra cucumber into tiny cubes. Wrap in cling film and take with you in a cool bag along with the saffron olive oil.
Serve sprinkled with the cubes of cucumber and a little saffron oil.