Green Gazpacho

There are countless gazpacho recipes floating around. This one is loosely based on taratar, a cold yogurt and cucumber soup from the Balkans. With an ingredient list that includes garlic, celery, green peppers, jalapeno pepper, cucumber, basil, parsley and spinach, this may be the healthiest recipe featured on Savory, Sweet and Spicy. With the addition of bread, yogurt and walnuts, it may also be one of the most unconventional of gazpacho recipes. The result is a hearty soup with a unique and complex flavor profile. We found ourselves tasting something new with every bite...and concluding that I need to make this soup again very soon.

Green Gazpacho

Croutons:

2 thick slices sourdough bread, torn into 3/4 " cubes

4 T olive oil

salt

Soup:

2 celery stalks, leaves included

2 small green peppers, seeded

6 Persian cucumbers, peeled

3 slices sprouted grain bread, crusts removed {I used Ezekiel}

1 green jalapeno pepper

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 t sugar

6 c baby spinach {I used a blend of spinach, kale and chard}

1 c basil leaves

2 T chopped parsley

1 c + 1/2 c walnuts, toasted

4 T sherry vinegar

1 c olive oil

3 T low fat Greek yogurt

2 c water

9 ice cubes

2 t salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the bread cubes with 4 T olive oil and a little salt. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Roughly chop the first 6 soup ingredients and puree in a blender. To the blender add the sugar, spinach, basil and parsley. Stir, forcing the greens to the bottom of the blender. Puree and repeat stirring and blending until the greens are completely pureed. To the blender add the last 8 ingredients and puree. Taste and adjust seasonings if you like.

Serve immediatly with the croutons.

Serves 6.

Source: Adapted from Plenty, Yotam Ottolenghi