Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Cold refreshing cucumber yogurt soup. A must in the summertime, especially if you get over to the farmer's market and buy those local cucumbers. Not a hint of bitterness. Here are the ingredients for 6 portions:
Ingredients
7 small cucumbers, peeled, cut in half, and seeded
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups Greek yogurt (low fat is fine)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
1 1/4 cup mint leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Garnish
3 finely chopped radishes
6 sprigs fresh mint
Procedure
Cut 6 of the cucumbers into 1 inch pieces. Cut the remaining cucumber into 1/4 inch dice and save for garnish at the end. Combine the 1 inch pieces and the garlic in the food processor and process for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, yogurt, salt, pepper, cumin, dill, lemon juice, and 3/4 of the mint leaves. Process till smooth. Pass mixture through a strainer (to remove any unpleasant bits) into a large bowl. Coarsely chop remaining mint leaves and stir them into soup. Refrigerate covered for at least 3 hours.
To serve, ladle into chilled bowls, martini glasses, or even hollowed-out cantaloupe halves, and top with radish, cucumber, and sprig of mint. Voila!
