Ajo Blanco With Almond, Cucumber And White Anchovy Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Ajo Blanco
250 g blanched almonds
4 slices white bread, crusts removed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 3/4 cups water
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons whole egg mayonnaise, good quality
Salad
24 almonds, skin on and roughly chopped
1 lebanese cucumber, peeled, deseeeded and finely chopped
8 white anchovies, rinsed and chopped
micro herbs, good pinch for each bowl

Preparation

Ajo Blanco:.
Place blanched almonds in a bowl and cover with water. Cover and stand overnight.
Place bread in a bowl and cover with water. Stand for 1 hour. Drain and squeeze excess water from bread.
Place bread in a food processor with drained almonds and garlic; process until well combined.
With the motor running, gradually add the 3 3/4 cups water in a thin, steady stream until nuts are finely chopped and mixture is well combined.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled.
Strain soup through a fine seive into a bowl taking care not to push the mixture through as this will result in a gritty soup. Discard the pulp.
Add the sherry vinegar and mayonnaise; season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk until just combined and pour into a serving jug.
Divide and arrange the salad ingredients between 4 bowls. To serve, pour the soup over the salad at the table.