Italian Food, Wine, and Travel

We referred to this as “white gazpacho” when we served this during our South America Uncorked evening. But in South America, Ajo Blanco is the cooler, sophisticated older cousin of the famous red tomato soup we all know and love. Dating all the way back to the Moorish influence in Southern Spain, it’s a velvety, pale concoction that achieves its luscious creaminess without a single drop of dairy, relying instead on a puree of blanched almonds, garlic, and soaked bread. A splash of grassy extra-virgin olive oil and a sharp hit of sherry vinegar bring the drama, turning what looks like a simple bowl of milk into a savory, nutty concoction that hits like a refreshing Mediterranean breeze on a sweltering July afternoon.

While the ingredients list might sound like a strange pantry raid, the magic happens in the garnish. In a move that sounds wrong but tastes incredibly right, the traditional topper for this chilled soup is a handful of sweet, juicy green grapes. This sweet-and-savory high-wire act is exactly what makes the dish a cult favorite; the burst of fruit cuts right through the rich almond base and the pungent bite of raw garlic. It is essentially the culinary equivalent of wearing a crisp white linen shirt while eating a handful of salted nuts—effortlessly elegant, slightly salty, and undeniably cool.

Ajo Blanco – White Gazpacho
Serves 4

2-3 ounces bread, such as day-old baguette, crust removed and roughly torn
1 cup blanched almonds
1 cup green grapes
¼ sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed and sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Water to help thin soup (amount may vary)

Tear up the bread and soak in just enough water to cover for about 10 minutes.

In a blender, very finely chop the almonds.

Add the wet bread to the almonds in the blender, as well as the grapes, onion, garlic, chile, cucumber, vinegar, salt and pepper, vinegar and a good drizzle of olive oil.

Add 1/4 cup of water and blend until everything is incorporated. Add more water as needed to obtain your preferred consistency. Taste, and adjust seasoning as desired, such as adding more salt or vinegar.

Transfer the soup to a storage container, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, garnish with mint, sliced green grapes, and toasted slivered almonds. You could add frozen grapes to the chilled soup to keep it cold. It should keep for a couple of days in your refrigerator.

We paired our Ajo Blanco with the 2024 Susana Balbo Signature “Brioso” White Blend. “Brioso” is a sophisticated architectural feat from Argentina’s first female enologist. A masterful blend of Torrontés, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, this wine offers a luminous profile of white flowers, citrus zest, and a distinct flinty minerality born from the Uco Valley’s limestone-rich soils. It is the wine’s delicate balance of weight and vivacity that makes it an inspired partner for Ajo Blanco. As the wine’s subtle herbaceous notes bridge perfectly to the grassy extra-virgin olive oil swirled atop the bowl, the finish remains clean and saline—much like the refreshing burst of a green grape garnish—ensuring that the rich nuttiness of the soup never feels heavy.

Susana Balbo is widely regarded as the “Queen of Torrontés” and a trailblazing force who fundamentally reshaped the landscape of Argentine viticulture. In 1981, she shattered a massive glass ceiling by becoming the first woman in Argentina to graduate with a degree in enology, often standing as the lone female professional in a fiercely male-dominated industry. Her early career took her to the remote region of Salta, where she revolutionized the Torrontés grape, transforming it from a rustic table wine into a sophisticated, world-class aromatic white. Beyond the cellar, Balbo has been a tireless global ambassador, serving three terms as the President of Wines of Argentina and eventually venturing into politics as a national congresswoman to advocate for women’s empowerment.

Chimichurri is the vibrant, punchy heart of the South American barbecue tradition asado, serving as the indispensable partner to grilled meats from the Argentine pampas to the churrascarias of Brazil. This uncooked sauce is a bold emulsion of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, minced garlic, dried oregano, and a kick of red chili flakes, all suspended in a zesty bath of oil and red wine vinegar. While its base is simple, the flavor profile is complex: the acidity of the vinegar cuts through the richness of fatty beef, while the herbs provide a grassy freshness that balances the smoky char of the grill. Traditionally, it is prepared by hand with a knife or a mortar and pestle to maintain a rustic, textured consistency, as pureeing it into a smooth paste is considered a culinary sin in its home regions. But let’s be real – it still tastes damn good made with a blender.

The history of chimichurri is as colorful as the sauce itself, steeped in the lore of the gauchos (cowboys) who roamed the vast grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay in the 19th century. One popular legend attributes the name to an Irish immigrant named Jimmy McCurry, who allegedly created the sauce as a substitute for the Worcestershire sauce he missed from home; over time, “Jimmy’s Curry” supposedly morphed into “chimichurri.” More linguistically plausible theories suggest it stems from the Basque word tximitxurri, meaning a “hodgepodge” or “mixture,” brought over by the significant wave of Basque settlers. Regardless of its etymological roots, the sauce remains a symbol of national pride and communal gathering, evolving from a practical way for wandering cowboys to flavor their campfire meals into a globally recognized masterpiece of South American cuisine.

Chimichurri

Consider this a flexible blueprint designed for experimentation! I rarely stick to the script myself—depending on the season, I’ll swap in fresh oregano for the dried, or pivot to bright basil or cilantro. If you’re a garlic lover, go ahead and toss in three cloves; if you’re craving a kick, dial up the Aleppo pepper (a wonderfully smoky crushed red chili)., or add a jalapeño! I encourage you to tweak the ratios to complement whatever you’re cooking. It’s a beautifully versatile companion for everything from charred vegetables to grilled meats.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup parsley
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon aleppo pepper flakes

Place the olive oil and garlic in a blender. Puree until the garlic is emulsified into the oil.

Add the parsley and oregano to the blender, and blend until everything is a fairly smooth puree. Add more olive oil if needed to obtain the consistency you wish.

Add the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the aleppo pepper flakes. Allow to sit for at least two hours, so the flavors release into the oil.

This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving, as the oil will solidify a bit in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze this in small plastic bags, or ice cube trays, to use next time you grill.

For our South America Uncorked tasting, Gary selected the 2023 Bodega Garzón Tannat Reserva from the coastal hills of Maldonado, Uruguay. This wine is a masterclass in why Tannat has become Uruguay’s flagship grape. This vintage is deep purple and vibrantly aromatic, bursting with notes of fresh plums, raspberries, and a distinct mineral “grip” from the estate’s ancient granite soils. On the palate, it is full-bodied and powerful, yet it possesses a surprising freshness and “juicy tension” that sets it apart from the heavier, more rustic Tannats of the past.

When it comes to the table, this wine and chimichurri-topped grilled meat are a textbook regional pairing for two scientific reasons. First, Tannat is famously high in tannins; these molecules bind to the proteins and fats in a charred steak, effectively “cleansing” your palate with every sip. Second, the wine’s natural acidity and hints of balsamic and spice mirror the zesty red wine vinegar and dried oregano in the chimichurri. Instead of the sauce overpowering the wine, the two dance together—the chimichurri heightens the wine’s fruit profile while the Tannat provides the structural backbone to stand up to the bold, garlicky punch of the sauce.