When most people think of cooking a summer dish, soup probably doesn’t immediately come to mind. Summer warrants cool and refreshing, not hot and comforting. Have you ever tried chilled soup? They’re the most refreshing appetizer to any summer meal and they’re simple to make. My mom was heralded for her Chilled Cucumber Soup. It always perked eye brows and taste buds whenever it was served. She usually whipped up a fresh batch before we went over someone’s house for dinner. The cuisinart would be humming as the cucumbers and yogurt and buttermilk were mixing. After her pinky finger taste tests, when she was satisfied with the taste and consistency of the mixture, she’d pop the finished product in her large round tupperware container for a few hours to chill and set in the fridge. Then, off to the neighbors we’d go. No bowl of Judy’s Cucumber Soup would be complete without her generous dollop of fresh sour cream to help pollinate all of the different flavors. Try if for yourself. Tell me what you think.
How refreshing does this look?
Chilled Cucumber Soup
Ingredients:
- 5 cucumbers
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 6 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 1 pint yogurt (Greek yogurt will create a thicker consistency)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Peel and chop the cucumbers.
- Place the cut pieces in the blender along with lemon juice, buttermilk, yogurt, dill and scallion.
- Blend at high speed until consistency is thick and soupy.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill in refrigerator at least an 1-2 hours before serving.
- Add a dollop of fresh sour cream to the top of each bowlful of soup! Enjoy.
Serves 6
Sometimes we don’t even see what’s right in front of us. Fruit soup seems to be the easiest soup to make. You literally don’t have to do much. And, if I say it’s easy, then you know it’s got to be a breeze! It’s delicious and refreshing and healthy and, since summer fruits are naturally sweet, you don’t have to add any sweetener at all (although many fruit soup recipes have you add sugar and honey). Come on. Try it for yourself. I bet you don’t even have to go shopping for the ingredients. Just open your refrigerator…
Super Sweet and tasty!
Fresh Summer Fruit Soup (adapted from Donna Cohen)
Ingredients:
- peaches
- nectarines
- mango
- pineapple
- strawberries
- blueberries
Instructions:
- Slice above fruit into bite-sized chunks. Amount of fruit varies per number of servings.
- Place cut fruit in large pot. Add about two inches of water and bring to a boil.
- After fruit comes to a boil, let simmer until the consistency becomes soupy. Stir often.
- Place fruit soup into refrigerator to chill at least one hour before serving. Enjoy!
Have any easy summer soup faves? Share them with us!
Love the cucumber recipe, I really could eat that for breakfast too. You have to try Peacefood’s watermelon gazpacho, insanely good.
I did not realize how easy it is to make cucumber soup… Sounds delicious!