Chilled Cucumber Soup

I never used to like the idea of cold soups until I actually gave them a try.  The complimentary cucumber soup shooter I had at Colicchio and Sons back in May was in a petite white porcelain cup and was perfectly creamy and balanced.  Weeks later I had a spicy cucumber soup shooter at The Stanton Social.  When I got a pile of cucumbers from work last week, chilled cucumber soup came to mind immediately.  

I looked up a handful of recipes and morphed them into this recipe, adding a jalapeno for some kick and a celery stick for some extra depth.  This is a great soup to serve in shot glasses or sake cups before a meal to rev up your guests’ appetites. 

Dry Cucumber Soda is one of my favorites, and it's a perfect drink to sip while making chilled cucumber soup!

The great thing about this soup is that you can easily adjust it to suit your individual taste by dropping a bit of this and that into the blender or food processor.  We’re quickly moving away from cold soup weather so I’d suggest making this soon.  I just had a big bowl of hot short rib ramen at Ganso in Brooklyn tonight so I’m already transitioning into hot soups, which I admit I’m pretty excited for. 

RECIPE

Makes 3 cups

4 cups roughly chopped kirby cucumbers
1 jalapeno, stem removed
1/4 cup roughly chopped shallot
1 celery stalk (from the celery heart)
1/4 cup packed basil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt

1.  Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.

2.  If you want a fairly smooth soup, strain it through a sieve.  If you want a completely smooth soup, strain it through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.

3.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or chile oil in small bowls or in shot glasses for fun cucumber soup shooters.

You might also like: Corn with Butter and Tajin, Chamomile Soda, Arugula Fennel Apple Salad with Chives, Romesco Sauce with Grilled Spring Onions, Mascarpone and Lemon Zest Gnocchi, Raw Asparagus Salad with Red Onion and Pecorino