COOL as a CUCUMBER!

For hot days, a cool dinner.
Last night’s dinner was one of my favorites: chilled cucumber soup, wild salmon lightly sautéed, wilted spinach (with shallots and a bit of watercress), steamed asparagus and mixed berries for dessert.

If you think cucumbers are just for salads, not so. The notion of cold soup fit the high temperature of the day (88°), and cucumbers are, I believe, highly underrated as a cooling summer taste. True they are mostly water, but that’s what the body needs most to modulate body temp.

This is an original recipe although I consulted several cookbooks beforehand. Most recipes called for chicken broth or were cooked and then chilled. I wanted SIMPLE! And DH inadvertently changed the soup combination. I asked for mint on the shopping list but he bought watercress instead (?), so I adapted to its sharp peppery taste instead. You could use half-n-half instead of yogurt for a creamier texture but the acidic taste will be lost.

CHILLED CUCUMBER SOUP with DILL
Perfect for a hot summer evening, the just right accompaniment to salmon or shrimp dishes. The food processor technique makes for quick and easy preparation.

1 carton fresh Dill (oz.?)
4-5 Cucumbers
2/3 C. Greek-style Yogurt
bunch - watercress or parsley
salt & pepper

PREP: Cut off 2" of one, whole cucumber for garnish later. Peel, seed and chunk the cucumbers (measure? fill the processor bowl about 3/4 full). Process the chunks in a Food Processor until the pulp is fluid and creamy. Add the yogurt and about half the dill (without stems), season to taste. Pour into a non-metallic container and chill for at least two hours.

OPTIONAL: Add a 2-3 tablespoons of the soup base to the food processor and then pull a handful of watercress leaves and process until smooth and pour-able. This can be used as a sauce verde over fish (delicious over salmon); OR can be added to the soup to add a peppery after-taste and a brighter green color.

GARNISH: Prepare the garnish by serrating the cucumber peel with a fork and thinly slicing into rounds. Chill the soup bowls for about twenty minutes before dinner.

SERVING: Ladle the cold soup into chilled bowls and top with the cucumber rounds and a sprig of dill. A Parmesan bread-stick or cracker will widen the taste spectrum.

Q: What’s your best cold vegetable for a summer diet?
A: 1/2 cup of raw cucumber with peeling has 8 calories.

CUCUMBER BONUS: Save the seeds and fleshy center of the cucumber in a quart container, fill with water and chill overnight. Strain and reserve the clear liquid for drinking. In a very expensive spa, after a detox body-wrap treatment, I was served a tall glass of iced cucumber water to lower body temperature. It worked!

What am I working on?
Satin-stitching the edges of the appliqued Ragtime Dreams on my quilt top for the DOQ October show. My aim is two letters a day, allowing for time to stretch and relax my back between stitching sessions. The twisting and turning the bed-sized piecework back and forth takes a toll on the upper body.

Less than half done at this point, slow going. Later...b