If your garden (and your schedule) is anything like mine, the cucumbers hide, snickering, until you finally find them under those big leaves and they’re the size of battering rams, seemingly overnight. But how much cucumber salad can you actually have? Problem solved - Cold Cucumber Soup. Lauren affectionately calls this “pickle soup.” Clearly, we both love pickles. But if you’re not a dill fan, mint would make a great substitute.
You can use this as a starter to your dinner - an Amuse Bouche - in a shot glass, or as a side to a heavier sandwich in half-cup servings.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups plain, full fat Greek yogurt, or sour cream
1/2 cup double cream
2 sliced and peeled cucumbers (or just 1 of mine!)
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (or more if you like the spice)
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
2 anchovy fillets (optional)
Salt to taste
METHOD
Lay the peeled and sliced cucumbers on a sheet pan covered with paper towels. Salt liberally and let them “sweat” for about 20 minutes, to release moisture.
After 20 minutes or so, rinse the salt off the cucumbers and drain completely.
In a blender, add all ingredients on high, except salt.
Puree until smooth, about 1 minute on high.
Add salt if necessary.
Chill at least an hour before serving. Garnish with a sprinkling of dill.
One of my favorite chefs, Rick Bayliss, makes a delicious Cucumber Margarita at his famous Chicago restaurant, Topolobampo. So if you’re serving these as “shooters,” a start to your meal, it’s not a bad idea to incorporate a bit of good tequila like Patron Silver into the shot. The Patron Añejo is lovely, but is a little too agave-forward for this soup. If you’re offering larger servings in half cups, take everyone’s keys first.
Hozzászólások