Across Spain and Turkey, almond soup holds a beloved place on the table. The Spanish and Ottoman takes skip meat altogether, but the English variation includes it — practical in a land where cold, damp weather makes hearty fare a necessity.
Even meat-free, the soup develops wonderful depth when simmered in a rich meat stock. Two styles exist: one chilled, one steaming. Chilled works beautifully on hot summer days, while the hot version shines through cold winter nights. In either form, the soup carries that unmistakable Spanish character.
What you'll need:
- raw almonds – 1 glass
- meat broth – 3 glasses
- bran bread – 3 slices
- garlic – 3 cloves
- parsley – 1 bunch
- turmeric – ¼ teaspoon
- mixed spicy herbs – 1 teaspoon
- olive oil – as needed
- salt – as needed
- ground black pepper – as needed
Hearty Hot Almond Soup Topped with Crispy Croutons — Today's Featured Dish
How to make it:
- Slice off the bread crusts, then dice the slices into small cubes.
- Warm a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, toss in the bread cubes, and toast each side until crisp and golden.
- Pulse one-third of the almonds in a blender until finely ground.
- Peel the garlic cloves and mince them finely.
- In a generously oiled pan, sauté the remaining whole almonds with the minced garlic for roughly 2 minutes.
- Drop the parsley into the broth, set the pot on the burner, and bring it up to a rolling boil.
- Stir in the sautéed almond-garlic mixture, the dried herbs, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Let everything simmer together for 20 minutes.
- Scatter a layer of croutons across the bottom of each serving bowl.
- Ladle the finished soup over the croutons and crown each bowl with the remaining toasted bread cubes.
Dig in and enjoy!
Featured image source: unsplash.com
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