Tuesday 16 January 2018

Cucumber And Yoghurt Soup - Perfect For A Hot And Steamy Night

Who can believe that we are now in the thick of 2018?  And here is my first recipe blog post for the year - a cold, smooth soup that is just right for the very steamy nights we are having here in sunny Brisbane.  Ironically, Mr P. and I went down to (usually) cool, grey Melbourne to visit family and friends and boiled in the 41C heat!  (105F for you folk of North American climes.)

Years ago when I lived in share houses with lots of crazy people, my housemate and I used to make a version of this soup with loads of garlic.  We didn't have a food processor so I guess we had to grate and chop everything by hand.  Eek!  Must have taken us ages.  Worth it though:=)  We all went around the next day with garlic burn - hmm, I mean breath.  




dive in to some icy cool soup 


Recipe from the brain of Sherry's Pickings:



Serves 4 as an entrée, generously:


ingredients: 


1.5 long thin cucumbers, roughly peeled and chopped into large chunks = approx. 470g. (1 lb.)

3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

a (very) large handful of walnuts - about 80g.

1 large, ripe avocado - peeled and chopped into large chunks

zest and juice of 1 large lime (or 2 small)

sea salt to taste - maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp

ground black pepper to taste 

200 mLs iced water - add more if you like it thinner

a pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)

5-6 ice cubes, plus extra for serving

1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

500g. plain thick yoghurt

a large handful of green herbs, torn roughly or chopped - I used chives and parsley but use your fave - plus extra for serving



Method:


Pretty much, you are just going to blitz everything in your food processor

Start off with the chunks of cucumber and whizz

Then add the garlic cloves; and whizz some more

Throw in the walnuts and yep - blitz 'em

Add the rest of the ingredients except the yoghurt and herbs and blitz away till smooth and lush

Now chuck in the yoghurt and herbs and whizz again

Serve with the extra herbs, and throw in an ice cube or 2 to each bowl if desired

Nice with a brown rice cracker or 2


Notes:


Use whatever kind of cucumber you prefer; it will all taste good

Dill and mint are also good in this soup but we like parsley and chives more:=)

Experiment with the amounts and herbs; have it how you like it

Make sure you have a large food processor, or make it in batches

I only added half the yoghurt into the processor, then whisked in the rest later

Sparkling water gives it a nice zing





gather your ingredients




zap those cukes




more zapping (I used sparkling water)




lots of blitzing later...




pour into a large bowl and whisk in the ice cubes 




sprinkle on some extra herbs




This soup will leave you feeling very virtuous and refreshed.  All that delicious and tasty, nutty. garlicky fun.  Just make sure your loved one eats it too.






my cucumber doodle

16 comments:

  1. This cold soup was a fantastic summer meal. And so refreshing. Try it! Don't you love the cucumber doodle? So clever is Mrs P.

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  2. Friends of ours from Bulgaria made this soup for us a couple of weeks ago. The only difference was they added fresh dill and a few pieces of chopped dill pickle to it. I scrunched up my nose at it but when I tasted it, I fell in love.

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    Replies
    1. It’s a great soup. Did they add avocado 🥑? Happy NYE to you.

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  3. I think you may have converted me...thought I wasn’t into cold soup but maybe just this one. You had me at avocado.

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    Replies
    1. hi marcella
      hope you had a lovely Christmas break. yep the avocado makes all the difference in this soup. it ends up being smooth and creamy, unlike other cuke soups i've had. cheers sherry

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  4. Here in the tropics at the moment, a cold soup sounds like just the thing for a nice change. I'll give it a go. thanks for sharing. Pauline

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    Replies
    1. Hi Pauline
      Yes this is great for a hot night. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers S

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  5. Cucumbers can make so many things great! I'd like it with some of the chunks still whole to add some crunchiness to the soup. But we are in the hot soup months up here in the frozen north, so my cucumbers are garnishing nice hot stews and curries.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mae
      The nuts give it a teeny bit of crunch which is nice but yes I can see that diced cuke would be nice on top. Cheers S

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  6. I will save this recipe for when it's 105 F here (and not 7 like it was earlier in the week)! :) I can't imagine having to grate everything.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Debra
      Yes so much easier with a food processor:)
      Cheers S

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  7. Hope you're surviving the heat Sherry. The past few days have been horrible :( Best wishes for the new year x

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    Replies
    1. hi Jem
      happy new year to you! yes this heat is doing us in. we are heading to hobart next week where it will be 21C. yay!!

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  8. That is so me and perfect for here in Nth QLD... not right now though :) Little cooler but I'm a soupa-holic so I'd still do it. Soon.

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    Replies
    1. hi sue
      this is a great soup for summer - so tasty and tangy!

      Delete

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