Cucumber Herb Soup

This soup is as light and refreshing as our summer days are hot!  I enjoy it as mid afternoon snack.  Mix up the herbs and seasonings according to your taste and the contents of your kitchen.  This recipe is adapted from a Jacques Pepin recipe published by the NY Times.  The original recipe has an additional 3/4 cup water added to the soup at the end, but the result is too thin for my taste.  But perhaps that’s just right for you!  If you have leftovers, give them a good stir before serving.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1.5 lbs cucumbers (It’s okay to guess! 1 large cuke is about a pound)

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup loose mint leaves (or other herb of your choice)

1/4 cup cold water

2 cups plain yogurt (see note)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp vinegar (I like cider vinegar)

1 tsp salt (the amount will depend both on the type of salt and your preference; if using regular table salt, start with 1/2 tsp)

Tabasco to taste

Peel the cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Roughly chop. Purée the cucumbers, garlic, mint (or other fresh herb), and water in a food processor or blender. Transfer the purée to a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients.  To keep it simple, you can proceed with the blender or food processor, but do so gently, so the result isn’t too foamy or bubbly.

NOTE: This recipe is intended to be made with regular yogurt rather than Greek yogurt.  If you only have Greek yogurt on hand, you might wish to thin the soup with nice buttermilk, regular milk, or even some water.  You could use all buttermilk instead of the yogurt, as well.  You might use more olive oil if using low fat dairy, or less if using full fat dairy.   Again, it’s up to you.  In any case, the quality of the dairy product you choose makes a difference here.

Submitted by Paula Redinger, Tucson CSA