Jade Green Summer Soup

I made this soup yesterday, the first course for a dinner cooked collectively.  It was in the 70s here, and I figured it was likely the last time to enjoy a cold soup, and found the recipe for this one when cleaning out my recipe files earlier in the week.  Unusually for me, I didn't note the source; it's copied from a book, but I had no idea which one.  Google to the rescue!  It's from Robert Wolke, What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained. I think this was a book I checked out of the library one summer, when the summer reading challenge included a category for "science."  This recipe is in a chapter on microwaves, explaining their impact on food.  The recipe is written for the microwave, but gives alternative instructions for stove-top cooking, which is what I did.

Today for lunch, I heated the soup up; it is excellent either hot or cold.  Next time I make it, I may add a couple of potatoes to the mix, to make it more of a main dish soup.  Note that there's no milk in this soup, unlike many chilled summer vegetable soups.  It was nice to have a soup like this with just the broth base.

JADE GREEN SUMMER SOUP

adapted from Robert Wolke, What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained

serves 6-8

5 cups chicken broth 

2 cups fresh green beans, chopped into about 1" pieces

2 cups chopped romain lettuce

2 cups zucchini, chopped into about 1/2" pieces

2 cups frozen peas

2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped scallions, both white and green parts 

1/4 cup chopped parsley (and more for garnish)

salt and freshly ground pepper

chopped fresh herbs for garnish (I used parsley and chives)

Into a soup pot, put the chicken broth and all the vegetables: green beans, romaine, zucchini, peas, celery, scallions, and parsley.  Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Add salt and pepper as desired.  Blend to the point of a textured purée (that is, not entirely smooth); I use a stick blender.  Chill thoroughly before serving.

Garnish each serving with chopped fresh herbs.  I used both parsley and chives.  Next time, I think I'd use just chives--would be prettier, and there is already parsley in the soup.  Mint might be nice, too.

The recipe suggested an optional addition at serving time of a drizzle of olive oil or a dollop of sour cream, but I liked it very much without either of these.  Why not keep it simple and low-cal?

Watermelon Gazpacho

I really enjoy cold soups in summertime.  We were invited to dinner with friends last night, and I brought this soup.  Everyone loved it, and clamored for the recipe--always very gratifying!  This soup looks like gazpacho and has the same texture, but the taste is distinctive because of the watermelon.  It's quite sweet, even though there is no added sugar--it's all from the sweetness of the watermelon.  This definitely joins the list of my favorite cold soups, others of which can be found by clicking on "soup-cold" in the label list on the right hand side of this blog.

I brought this as a first-course soup for a larger meal; it easily served the 6 of us with hefty leftovers.  I think the soup would work as a light main course as well, served with a good bread and cheese or hummus.

WATERMELON GAZPACHO

adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/watermelon_gazpacho/

serves 8

prep time: about 40 minutes

1 red onion, cut in half  (Half of the first 4 ingredients will be cut in large chunks and then puréed; the other half will be finely chopped and added later.)

1 large red pepper, cut in half (original recipe called for green pepper)

1 English cucumber, cut in half 

1 jalapeno pepper, cut in half

2 cups roughly chopped fresh garden tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)

7 cups roughly chopped seedless watermelon (or watermelon with seeds removed); this was about 2/3 of a 9 lb watermelon

1/3 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 c. red wine vinegar (or more to taste)

1 t. kosher salt (or less)

1 T. olive oil

GARNISH:

        sour cream (lite is fine)

        diced avocado (I used one avocado for 6 people)

1.     Set aside one half of the onion, red pepper, cucumber and jalapeno.  Cut the rest in largish pieces, and purée together in a food processor; put into a large bowl.

2.     Put the chopped tomatoes in the food processor and purée; add to the mixture in the large bowl.

3.     Put the chopped watermelon in the food processor (probably need to do in two batches); purée and add to mixture.

4.     Add the 1/4 c. vinegar to the mixture, and then whisk in the salt and olive oil.

5.     Take the reserved half of the onion, red pepper, cucumber, and jalapeno, and chop finely.  Chop the cilantro.  Add all to the mixture in the large bowl.  Taste, and add more vinegar and/or salt, if you like.

6.     Chill for at least a few hours; chilling overnight is also fine—tastes as good or better the second day.

7.     Garnish with sour cream and diced avocado.  Also good with a side of toasted artisan bread.

Cold Beet & Buttermilk Soup

My friend Carol mentioned to me that she was making my recipe for cold beet soup.  With a stretch of days above 100 degrees here in the midwest, it is definitely the weather for this soup!  Very simple, beautiful, and tasty.

I have gone back into the labels for recipes and changed "cold soup" to "soup-cold," so that it is easier to find these in the alphabetical list of labels on the right side of the blog page.  

COLD BEET & BUTTERMILK SOUP

adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

4 cups chopped cooked beets (two 15-oz cans, drained and coarsely chopped are fine.  If using fresh, about 1-1/2 lbs.)

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

2-1/4 cups buttermilk

1 T. minced fresh dill

1/4 cup minced scallions or chives

salt to taste

1/2 a large cucumber, seeded and finely chopped

This recipe is simple and good; very refreshing in hot weather.

Combine the beets, apple juice, and buttermilk in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the dill and scallions or chives.  Add salt to taste.  Chill for at least 2 hours.  Serve topped with chopped cucumber.  (Or you can also just stir in the cucumber before chilling the soup.)

Two more cold soups

Jan asked for the apricot-wine soup recipe too.  While I'm at it, I'll include the yoghurt soup recipe I like as well.

APRICOT-WINE (or not) SOUP

serves 5

I've always made the soup with the wine called for, but last week I made it without, because one of the people at the table could not have alcohol.  The soup was still wonderful!  I didn't change anything else--just left out the wine.

2/3 c. dried apricots

2/3 c. peeled, diced tart apple

1 c. water

12 oz.  mixture of apricot nectar & orange juice, about half each

1-1/4 c. apple juice

1/2 c. sour cream (light is fine)

2/3 c. chilled dry white wine (can be left out)

mint sprigs

Cook apricots and apple in water covered, until apricots are soft, adding more water if needed.  Purée in blender with the juices and sour cream.

        

Chill, add wine to taste, and serve with sprigs of mint.  (The mint is both for decoration and for the taste--very nice with the apricot flavor.)

  
        

 COLD YOGHURT SOUP

adapted from Craig Claiborne, The New York Times Menu Cookbook

4-5 servings

1/2 cup raisins

3 cups yoghurt (non-fat is fine)

1/2 cup milk (I use skim)

1 hard-cooked egg, chopped (or 2 egg whites)

6 ice cubes

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup chopped scallions (about 3)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. chopped parsley

1 T. chopped fresh dill or 1 t. dried dill

Soak the raisins in cold water for five minutes.

          

Place the yoghurt in a large mixing bowl and add the milk, egg, ice cubes, cucumber, scallions, salt and pepper.  Drain the raisins and add them to the yoghurt mixture.

Add one cup of cold water and mix well.  Chill for 2 or 3 hours.  Serve garnished with parsley and dill.

 

A cool soup for summer

I like making cold soups in summer, and I have a few favorites that I make each year (yogurt/cucumber, apricot/wine, gazpacho).  But today I happened to have extra buttermilk on hand (left over from making scones), and I noticed a recipe in a new cookbook I'd just purchased that would help me use it up.  This soup is great!  I was dubious about the base of buttermilk, which I've only used before in baking.  I'm a convert!  Actually, it's quite similar to yogurt, but with a bit of a tang.

CHILLED BUTTERMILK-VEGETABLE SOUP

adapted from Vegetarian Meals: Meatless Recipes Everyone Will Love (Good Housekeeping) (NY: Hearst Books, 2006) 

makes about 6 first-course servings

1-2 limes

1 qt. buttermilk (4 cups)

3 medium tomatoes (about 3/4 lb), seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 seedless cucumber, chopped in 1/4" pieces (can leave skin on if thin)

1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/4" pieces

3/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. coarsely ground black pepper

Grate about 1 t. peel from the lime(s) and squeeze to get 2-3 T. juice.

In large bowl, combine peel and juice with the rest of the ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.