Ajo Blanco Andaluz, White Almond Gazpacho with Grapes Ajo blanco is the white soup of Andalusia, cold, silky and startlingly pale, made from almonds, bread, garlic and olive oil and finished with a few sweet green grapes. It needs no stove at all. What it demands instead is patience, clean ingredients and a very good blender. Serves 6 as a starter. Prep 30 minutes, soak 4 hours, chill 2 hours. Difficulty: intermediate. Course: cold soup, vegan. The Story Ajo blanco belongs to

Melanzane al Cucchiaio (Face Down Oven Roasted Eggplant) Melanzane al cucchiaio means eggplant you eat with a spoon, and the name is a promise about texture rather than a method. The halves go into the oven with the cut face against the tray and stay there until the skin has collapsed and the flesh has turned into something closer to a custard than a vegetable. No frying, no flour, almost no oil. The face down position is the whole trick. Laid cut side up, a half dries on top