Chilled & Dilled Cucumber and Avocado Soup
August 09, 2005
CHILLED &
DILLED CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO SOUP
It's August in Sacramento, which means scorching
temps AND an abundance of fresh produce and herbs. We're big fans of
chilled summer soups (why are cold soups missing from menus in area
restaurants???). In addition to "gazpacho", I have played around with
various cold corn soups as well as twists on the standard aforementioned
gazpacho (think Thai-style with coconut milk, ginger, etc...). I've
attempted a couple of recipes that I found for avocado, and for cucumber.
The avocado soups I tried were too acidic (too much lime juice to pair with
wine) or too rich to be enjoyable after the first few spoonfuls. As for
cucumber soups, they've all been sort of blah. In the following original
recipe, I've combined the freshness of cucumbers and herbs with the
unctuosness of avocado for a soup that's refreshingly bright, yet smooth and
creamy as well.
1 1/2 lbs. cucumbers, peeled,
seeded, and cut into chunks (I prefer English cucumbers, but any garden variety
will do!)
1 largish avocado
(approximately 8-10 oz.), peeled, pitted, and cut into
chunks
2 scallions, root end and
tips trimmed, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups
buttermilk
1/2 cup plain non-fat
yogurt
1/8 cup (lightly packed)
fresh dill leaves
1 clove garlic,
peeled
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon coarse salt
(plus additional to taste)
1 teaspoon sherry
vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground white
pepper
Working in batches, combine ingredients in a food
processor or blender until liquified. Strain soup through a mesh strainer
or chinoise, pushing on solids for maximum extraction. Chill until nice
and cold. Taste and adjust for salt before serving.
Yield: 4 cups
Serving suggestions: Serve as-is with just a
dollop of yogurt and sprig of dill for a garnish. For a main-dish idea,
mound a small amount of cocktail shrimp in a wide, shallow bowl. Ladle
soup around shrimp and garnish with thinly sliced scallions or snipped
chives. Or, contrast spicy, warm grilled large shrimp with the
cold soup in the same manner. Garnish with red and yellow bell pepper
"confetti" for a splashy entree!
Wine Serving Suggestions:
Just about any unoaked sauvignon blanc will do,
especially if it is in awash with minerality and cleansing crips acidity.
A current suggestion for this varietal would be the citrus tinged 2004
Work Vineyard from Napa Valley at $24.50, Also successful was the super
intense Verdicchio from the Matelica region in the Marche produced by Fattoria
la Monacesca - the proprietary Mirum is legendary. The 2000 is redolent of
lemon curd, melon and crisp popping acidity......currently stocked and ready to
work for you on any hot summer night at $34.95 a bottle.
(ES)
Renee Kroeger
The Wine
Consultant
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