Cold Cucumber Soup

 

It's been a long time since I have added a recipe to my blog. I love this cold cucumber soup, it's so refreshing and versatile. The photo above shows these funny smaller yellow cucumbers which I have been buying at my farmers market. You can use regular green ones, of course. There is also a lot of latitude in the fresh herbs you can use. 

 

Ingredients

2 large European cucumbers, halved, seeded and coarsely chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

1/3 cup loosely packed dill ( cilantro, arugula...)

2 tablespoons loosely packed tarragon leaves ( basil, mint, oregano...)

1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves ( cilantro, arugula...)

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

1  1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste 

 

Instructions

1) In a blender*, combine the chopped cucumber with the dill, tarragon, onion, parsley, ground white pepper, salt, olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice and garlic. Blend until smooth. * I like to start with the garlic.

 

2) Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours, or until chilled.
 

3) Taste and season the cucumber soup again as necessary just before serving. Pour the soup into bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

Summer Soup : Gazpacho !!

It's hot today so I have gazpacho on my mind. In fact I just put some in the fridge to chill for tomorrow's dinner. I also promised my sister-in-law I would post this recipe soon. My brother is growing most of the ingredients in his garden. She got to taste it earlier this week. I made it to take on a one night camping trip we took to watch the Perseids meteor showers at Carrizo Plains.

Here's where we camped.

I knew it would be a warm night so a cold soup was just the ticket. It was !! We did see about a dozen nice shooting stars that night. The next day we headed to Lompoc for two nights with my brother and sister-in-law.

Anyway back to the gazpacho, I did a take off on a recipe by Alton Brown. I have served it several times to guests always with rave reviews. It's great as a starter or for lunch. The combination of flavors and textures are very refreshing.

Great Gazpacho

Ingredients

5-7 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cup tomato juice

1/2 red onion chopped

1 cup peeled, chopped cucumber

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 clove smashed garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 lime or lemon, juiced

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

pinch cayenne ( optional)

5 fresh basil leaves, 1 avocado ( optional)

1) To peel the tomatoes, pour boiling water over them for one minutes, drain and cover them in cool water for another minute or so. They should peel easily that way. 

2) Chop the peeled tomatoes into small chunks and toss them into a bowl.

3) Peel and chop the red onion.

4) Peel and chop the cucumber and add it to the bowl.

5) Seed and chop the bell pepper, yes, in it goes.

6) Add the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, cumin, smashed garlic, salt and pepper ( and cayenne). Toss together gently.

7) Remove 1 1/2 cup of this mixture and blend it for 20 seconds in the blender. Mix it back in with the rest and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight, which I prefer.

8) When you serve it, you can top it with a finely chopped fresh basil leaf and several chunks of avocado.

Feel free to add other fresh herbs and spices. The proportions of the vegetables are not that important, use more tomatoes, less cucumber or different peppers if you wish. I do find that letting the flavors marry overnight gives the best results.