Cold Cucumber and Greek Yogurt Soup
With the rise in temperature that is becoming faster than ever, certain days already call for raw and fresh foods, and one of my favorite starters is cold cucumber soup. It requires less than 5 minutes to prepare, it is rich in flavor and also so good for you.
I like to use Greek yogurt to add some protein to this dish, and garnish it with various herbs and dried fruit, depending on what I have. I find that toasted pine nuts are the best match, but also almonds, pistachios and cashews work very well. Toasting the nuts really makes a difference, then a quality e.v.o.oil will enhance the taste and freshness even more. Personally, for this type of soup I generally opt for a Tuscan or Sicilian oil, with personality and a natural tingliness.
I also like to add some sprouts, but you can top the soup with whatever you want. A friend of mine likes to top it with pre-boiled beetroot and radish, while Vittorio likes to add warm croutons, which we make cutting stale bread into cubes and bake for 5 minutes with a pinch of salt, pepper, oregano and oil.
Find the basic recipe below and ... enjoy!
RECIPE:
COLD CUCUMBER AND GREEK YOGURT SOUP
Ingredients (for 1 portion, or 2 small starters):
150 gr Greek yogurt
1 and 1/2 long cucumber or 1/2 round cucumber
1/4 fresh garlic clove
e.v.o.oil
herbs and/or sprouts to garnish
toasted 10/12 pine nuts
Method:
Peel the cucumber, slice roughly and place into a bowl.
Remove skin from a garlic clove, and remove germ. Thinly chop 1/4 (or more depending on how garlicky you like your food) and add to the bowl.
Add the Greek yogurt, and blend all together until nice and smooth.
Leave in the fridge to cool and when serving add two ice-cubes, grind some pepper, pour a few drops of e.v.o.oil and garnish with herbs, sprouts of choice and toasted pine nuts.
