Cucumbers With Ajo Blanco Sauce Food

CUCUMBERS WITH AJO BLANCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut cucumbers about 1" thick on a steep diagonal and place in a medium bowl. Add a large pinch of kosher salt and 2 tsp. vinegar and toss to combine; let marinate 10 minutes. Pour off any liquid that is released.
• Toast 1/4 cup almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside.
• Blend garlic, oil, remaining 1 tsp. vinegar, remaining ½ cup almonds, and 1/2 cup ice water in a blender until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes; season generously with salt.
• Divide sauce among plates and top with cucumber salad and chopped almonds. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Do Ahead
• Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

CUCUMBERS WITH AJO BLANCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Toss the sliced cucumbers with a generous pinch of salt and set aside.
• Toast the almond flour in a large skillet over medium high heat (this produces a better taste in the final product). It will brown slightly and smell nutty after about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave the almond flour, stirring after every 10 seconds or so to prevent burning until lightly golden.
• Add the toasted almond flour, vinegar, garlic cloves, avocado oil, and almond milk to a blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Drain any liquid from the cucumbers and toss with a bit more vinegar, if desired. Arrange on a serving plate and drizzle with the beaded sauce. Top with slivered almonds and serve.

AJO BLANCO WITH ALMOND, CUCUMBER AND WHITE ANCHOVY SALAD

Steps:

• 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.