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1
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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2
Cut the top 1/2 inch or so off the garlic bulb (a serrated knife works well for this).
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3
Drizzle the cut part with 1 tablespoon olive oil and loosely wrap the garlic in aluminum foil.
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4
Place directly on the bottom rack and bake until the garlic is golden, soft, and tender, about 45 minutes.
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5
Unwrap the garlic and cool.
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6
While the garlic is roasting, spread the almonds in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
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7
Bake on the top rack until just beginning to color, 7 to 10 minutes.
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8
Stir them once or twice as they bake so they color evenly.
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9
Transfer the almonds to a bowl and cool.
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10
Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes.
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11
Put them on the baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes.
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12
Remove the bread from the oven and cool.
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13
Place the bread in a large bowl and pour 2 cups water or grape juice over it.
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14
Let it stand until the bread is good and soggy, about 30 minutes.
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15
The bread will absorb most of the liquid and act as a thickener for the soup.
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16
Using grape juice instead of water will yield a slightly sweeter soup, but the texture will be the same.
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17
Reserve 1/4 cup almonds and place the remainder in the work bowl of a food processor.
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18
Process until finely ground, about 20 to 30 seconds.
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19
Squeeze the pulp from 4 cloves of the roasted garlic and add it to the ground almonds.
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20
Continue to process until a thick paste forms, another 20 seconds.
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21
(Unused roasted garlic can be refrigerated and saved for another recipe.)
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22
Add the cucumbers and continue to process until pureed, 30 seconds more.
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23
Reserve 1/4 cup grape halves, place the remainder in the work bowl, and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
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24
Squeeze the water or juice from the bread and add the bread to the mixture, processing until no large pieces remain, 30 to 45 seconds.
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25
The light green soup will resemble the hue of a pale honeydew melon.
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26
Pour the soup into a large bowl and whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and the vinegar.
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27
Continue to whisk while adding the remaining 1 cup water or grape juice.
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28
Season with the salt and pepper and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
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29
When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved almonds and grapes and the chives.
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30
As with all chilled soups, it is a good idea to check the seasonings before serving and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
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31
Store any leftovers in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
