farm fresh cucumber soup

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here's to delicious summer meals without heating up your kitchen!

     dinner. fresh, delicious, seasonal, chilled, mostly raw, delicious for days.

  

I'm so in love with the vegetables that arrive each week from angelic organics, and each week I'm inspired to create dishes that incorporate all the ingredients in my box . . . yes, I'm even compelled to eat the beautifully green celery tops.
 
     how can one possibly throw away something so fresh, so lovingly tended?


so here's a delicious summertime treat, 
     packed with green goodness, 
          and sure to tempt even the youngest of palettes. 

serve with some good bread & grilled veggies, and you'll have yourself a garden feast.

   Enjoy yourselves. it's summertime.



chilled cucumber soup
(recipe adapted from eating well)

Serves 4

4 cucumbers, cups peeled, seeded &roughly chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons celery tops* (or parsley), plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

lemon wedges

*note on celery leaves: only use the dark greens from unblanched celery, as grocery store celery has very little color & flavor. If unavailable, parsley is a much better bet.

in a food processor or blender, combine cucumber, garlic, avocado, celery tops, salt, lemon juice, and vinegar. process until creamy and smooth. 

 

strain half of the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, using the back of a rubber spatula to press soup through strainer. reserve solids and return liquid to the rest of the batch.

with food processor running, slowly drizzle olive oil into soup, creating a smooth emulsion. add yogurt and process until combined.

 

chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. garnish soup with a drizzle of olive oil, julienned cucumber skin, lemon wedges, and minced celery leaves. pass extra yogurt and sherry vinegar at the table. 

 

soup will keep well in the refrigerator for a couple days, and flavors only improve as they rest. 

 

 

 

 

now as for the reserved solids . . . again, I can't bear the thought of tossing something that is not only beautiful, but delicious! if you're in need of an appetizer, here's the perfect thing. shall we call it cucumber tapenade?

 

mix reserved vegetables with olive oil. serve atop toast points or seeded crackers with hummus, crumbled goat cheese and fresh ground pepper.

kellyallison photography specializes in creating inspired food images that capture the power and passion at the heart of food creation.