Who wants to turn on their oven in the August heat? Not me. At the most, I’m using my stovetop these days. Cold cucumber soup sounds seasonally appropriate and refreshing right about now.
This recipe originally came from Lakrids licorice company (lakridsbybulow.com). It caught my attention years ago when they produced a series of recipes for their website to promote their sweet and savory licorice products. Their version of the soup is too watery and thin for my taste, so I’ve made some adjustments. And, not everyone likes licorice or wants to buy their products, so I’ve listed this ingredient as optional and have given an alternative. The soup is plenty delicious and refreshing without it.
Are you a summer cold soup lover? Also try my Chilled Zucchini Soup.
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Ingredients
- 5 large cucumbers
- 500 grams full fat Greek yogurt
- 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 bunch mint (use the leaves, only). As much or as little as you prefer
- 5 slices of rye bread, divided
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt (do not use iodized able salt), more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- A sprinkle of raw licorice ROOT powder or ground anise seeds for each serving (optional)
- A few edible flowers for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Dice two pieces of rye bread and pan fry them in a small skillet over medium heat with the olive oil until they become crispy croutons. Set them aside
- Peel – or don’t peel, the choice is yours – the cucumbers and cut them in half vertically. Using a small spoon, scrape out and discard the seeds. Roughly chop three of the cucumbers and place them into a blender. Dice the remaining two cucumbers to use as garnish and set them aside. NOTE: If you peel your cucumbers, the soup will be ever-so-slightly pale green. If you leave the peels on, the soup will be much more noticeably green. However, many grocery stores wax their cucumbers and that, along with the peel itself is difficult to digest. I peel mine, but the choice is yours
- Add the yogurt, broth, mint leaves and salt and pepper to the blender along with the cucumbers and puree. Tear the remaining pieces of bread into pieces and blend them into the soup to thicken it. Taste and adjust for seasonings as needed
- Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with the rye bread croutons, diced cucumber, minced edible flowers (if using) and a sprinkle of raw licorice powder (e.g. Lakrids brand) or ground anise seeds and serve
Greg Nelson Cooks 