Andrea Westcot
From Deborah Madison, Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen (NY: Broadway Books, 2006).
This is a remarkable simple soup. You can adjust the herbs to suit your mood – try lots of dill and chives for a cool, mild flavor. Or try adding cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and chopped jalapeno.
Try serving a chilled soup along with a sandwich or a quesadilla for a light dinner. Perfect for a hot night.
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cucumbers, any variety
- 1 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream (or a mixture)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped herbs, divided – try cilantro, chives, basil, dill, etc.
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 lemons Zest and juice lemons, divided, or more or less to taste
- 2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Peel and seed the cucumbers. Cut 1 cup of cucumber into a small dice and set aside.
Roughly chop the rest of the cucumbers. Puree in a blender or food processor with the buttermilk, ½ c of the mixed chopped herbs, ½ tsp salt, and the zest and juice of 1 lemon.
Just before serving, toss the reserved diced cucumbers with the remaining ½ c mixed chopped herbs, a few pinches of salt, the olive oil, and the remaining juice and zest.
Test the soup for seasoning. Serve soup with a spoonful of the relish on top.
