Cucumber Soup

evanbillups
Jul 21, 2021
2 min read

Summer days can be HOT. Anyone who was in Portland for the heat wave (116 degrees on June 28!) can attest to that. Sometimes, you just don't feel like turning on the hot oven or the stove at all. Cucumber soup is the perfect solution to this. It's a great lunch, dinner, or appetizer that requires very little work and zero cooking! It's also absolutely delicious and satisfying, while still feeling refreshing and light.

Side note:

I recently got into cucumber soup because I was inspired by this one (below) that I had at a fancy catered dinner. It was a spicy cucumber soup that definitely had a kick to it! The dollop of greek yogurt on top was perfect balance to the spiciness, and the little slices of cucumber added a nice bit of texture. I knew I wanted to find a recipe similar to this one because this soup was just so good!

How to Make Cucumber Soup

I found my cucumber soup recipe on, you guessed, it NY Times Cooking. Their recipe is for chilled cucumber soup with avocado toast. I didn't make it with avocado toast, but I did serve it with some thick, hearty wheat bread from our local bakery, Tabor Bread.

The method for this soup is very easy. You basically just take all the ingredients, throw them in the food processor, and blend. I used pretty much the same ingredients as the NY Times recipe:

~1 lb of cucumbers (I used ~3 large cucumbers)
1 peeled garlic clove
2 whole scallions,
Half a small jalepeño
1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used dill, parsley, cilantro, and mint)
A splash of sherry
Salt and pepper.

I also threw in the optional anchovy fillets (I actually used 4). I think using the anchovies is key for a richer and more flavorful experience. I also used 1.5 cups of greek yogurt, plus a little water instead of buttermilk for a healthier, more protein-filled version. Then I just blended it up for a while in the food processor. I didn't get the smoothest blend for this soup - I'm sure a nicer blender and/or using the buttermilk would've been creamier - but I don't mind a bit of texture.

You can serve this right after blending, but we were taking this to the lake the next day so I chilled it overnight. Before serving I sprinkled some fresh corn kernels and some feta cheese over the top. Ideally one would also top it with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil, but my mom and I had forgotten to bring lemons and olive oil to the lake - oh well!

This is such a lovely, refreshing summer dish. It pairs well with a large piece of hearty toast and makes you feel full and satisfied, but not heavy. Keep this in mind for your next hot day, no-cooking meal!