Chilled Cucumber, Apple & Mint Soup
This week in Winnipeg has been warm and sticky and believe me, I am not complaining. But when the summer weather hits, I just cannot decide what I feel like eating. I certainly do not want to turn on the oven or stand and stir anything around over a warm element.
I had the pleasure of meeting and working alongside Chef Michael Allemeier yesterday, as he wrapped up a multi-city tour with the Canadian Dairy Producers and their Everyday Magic Challenge. Three TV Chefs were challenged to come up with two wholesome and nutritious recipes to be featured and Chef Michael dreamed up this refreshing chilled soup. I happened to whip it up recently, had a bowl for lunch and have the rest chillin in the ole fridge as I understand that the summer weather is here to stay.
- 2 English cucumbers (each about 12 oz)
- 2 Granny Smith apples, or other tart apples, cut into chunks
- 1 T finely chopped peeled ginger-root
- 20 fresh mint leaves
- 2 c plain 2% yogurt
- ½ c 35% whipping cream
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 t salt
- ¼ c thinly sliced green onions
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the green skin off the cucumbers.
- Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise.
- Using a teaspoon scrape out all of the seeds in the centre.
- Discard seeds and skin.
- Cut cucumbers into chunks.
- In a blender, in batches if necessary, combine cucumber, apple, ginger and mint leaves and puree well.
- If necessary, stop the blender and scrape down ingredients to help puree until smooth.
- Add yogurt and cream and puree until soup is homogenized.
- Add lemon juice and salt and puree to mix.
- Pour into a bow, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until chilled.
- Prior to serving, chill 6 serving bowls in the fridge.
- Stir soup to blend.
- Pour soup into chilled bowls and sprinkle sliced green onions over top as the garnish.
You might think with cream as an ingredient that the soup would be too rich, but this is not the case. The recipe calls for no other fat and when the scant 1/2 cup of cream is immulsed with so many veggies, the result is both refreshing and velvety.
Kath’s quote:
‘Tis not her coldness, father,
That chills my labouring breast;
It’s that confounded cucumber
I’ve ate and can’t digest.”-Richard Harris Barham
