Grapes are a wonderful dessert and a favorite delicacy of many. Its bunches are served just like that for dessert, it makes an excellent pair with cheeses, it is good in various cakes, pies and salads, jelly is boiled from it and juice is squeezed out. But the culinary use of grapes is not limited to these dishes, in many cuisines of the world there are recipes for soups, marinades, stuffed poultry and savory snacks with these juicy, fleshy berries.
Spanish grape soup
The most famous Spanish cold soup is gazpacho. But besides him, in this hot country, other recipes for chilled first courses were invented, such as aho blanco soup, in which grapes are generously placed. To prepare it you will need:
- 4-5 long cucumbers;
- 4 ½ cups of green grapes;
- 20-30 berries of green and red grapes to decorate the dish;
- 3 cups of croutons;
- 1 ½ cups toasted almond flakes;
- 2 ½ tablespoons of minced garlic;
- 1 ½ tablespoons of salt;
- 1 ½ cups plain plain yogurt
- ½ cup olive oil;
- ½ cup of wine red vinegar;
- ½ teaspoon of honey;
- 2 tablespoons of chopped green onions.
If you don't have croutons - just take a slightly stale white bread without a crust.
Peel the cucumbers and cut into cubes. Cut the grapes in half. In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, croutons, grapes, almonds, and garlic. Season with salt, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Puree the mixture that gave juice in a blender, rub through a sieve and beat again in a blender bowl with honey, yogurt, vinegar and oil. Chill the finished soup before serving for at least 30 minutes, serve, adding whole grapes and green onions for beauty.
In Spain, another national dish is prepared with grapes - focaccia, and in Italy they bake pizza and make small sandwiches - crostini.
Grape chutney
This spicy, savory snack is made very special thanks to the grapes. Take:
- 10 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced;
- 2 heads of onions;
- 300 ml of wine vinegar;
- 2 ½ kilograms of white grapes;
- 350 grams of cane sugar;
- 30 ml brandy;
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon;
- 2 teaspoons of ground ginger;
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper;
- salt.
For chutney, choose a seedless grape variety.
Peel the onion and cut into small cubes. Put apples, onions, grapes in a saucepan, pour in vinegar and brandy. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and the rest of the spices and cook the chutney for 2-2 ½ hours until it thickens. Remember to stir the food from time to time during cooking. Let the chutney cool slightly and transfer to sterilized glass jars. This seasoning can be stored for years in a cool, dark place.
American Chicken Grape Salad
For this simple yet effective salad, you will need:
- 1 boiled chicken breast;
- 2 stalks of celery;
- 1 cup seedless grapes;
- 1 cup chopped walnuts;
- 1 head of red onion;
- ½ teaspoon of salt;
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ glass of homemade mayonnaise.
Cut the chicken into small cubes. Peel and chop the onion into thin half rings. Extract the fibers from the celery stalks, cut the vegetable across into thin slices. Combine all ingredients together in a large salad bowl, season with salt, Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise, mix well, refrigerate and serve.
