Cool Down
In the heat of the summer, turning on the stove isn’t always ideal — and the thought of hot food isn’t always appealing. Cold soup to the rescue! Gazpacho might be the most widely recognized chilled soup, but we’re here to tell you there’s a whole world of cold soup options ready to refresh and satisfy. Plus, these soups are a wonderful way to make use of peak-season produce, letting the vegetables’ pure flavor shine.
Chef Andrew Zimmern’s cucumber soup is not only served cold, but it’s also entirely raw — zero cooking required. It all comes together in the blender; most of the work is simply seeding and chopping the cucumbers. Because everything is pureed save for half a cup of diced cucumber and the red onion garnish, a quick, rough chop will do just fine. Once it’s blended until smooth, the soup needs to spend at least eight hours in the fridge. This not only gives it time to thoroughly chill, but it also allows the flavors to meld. Shallot, garlic, dill, flat-leaf parsley, and tarragon perfume the cucumbers while Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and olive oil provide tang and a creamy, silky texture.
Coldness tends to subdue flavor, so you’ll want to taste the soup after it’s chilled and add more seasoning if needed. To serve, pour the soup into bowls, garnish with the finely chopped red onion and cucumber, and drizzle with olive oil.
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Cold Cucumber Soup with Yogurt & Dill
Ingredients
- 2 large European cucumbers (2 1/4 pounds), halved and seeded—1/2 cup finely diced, the rest coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/3 cup loosely packed dill
- 1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons loosely packed tarragon leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Salt
- Fresh ground white pepper
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Instructions
Total Time: 25 min, plus 8 hour chilling
Servings: Makes 5 cups
In a blender, combine the chopped cucumber with the yogurt, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, dill, parsley, tarragon and the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Season the soup again just before serving. Pour the soup into bowls. Garnish with the finely diced cucumber, red onion and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.
Originally published in Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures on foodandwine.com.
Photograph by Stephanie Meyer.
