Cool Down with Soup

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When we think of cold soup , we most often call to mind a bright tomatoey gazpacho or a silky smooth vicysoisse. Gazpacho is technically a blend of raw vegetables including tomatoes,cucumber, bell peppers, often bread and spices. A simplified version was most likely brought to the Iberian Peninsula of Spain by the Romans and then given a local twist. It is simple and quick to make and has endless variations.

Today blended fruit soups, sometimes including tomatoes, are also called gazpacho.

The pineapple cucumber gazpacho was so successful at the last taste of Shabbat that it bears being printed again. The recipe first appeared in Kol Emunah in 2016 along with a more savory cold cucumber soup with tapenade (Cool Food for a Hot Day, 6/29/16).

Here are links to other cold soup recipes that have appeared in Kol Emunah over the years:  There’s gazpacho (Fit for the Fourth, 5/5/17), cucumber soup (Cool as a …, 8/1/19) , cucumber gazpacho (Summertime and the Cooking is Easy, 7/26/18) and cucumber pineapple soup (Cool Food for a Hot Day, 6/17/17), of course. But even easier is this versatile gluten and dairy free zucchini soup discovered by Beryl Hiller on the Allrecipes website.

To help keep you cool during the upcoming heatwave, here are two additional gazpacho recipes. None require cooking and there is a minimal amount of chopping. Let the blender, food processor or immersion blender do the work.

The following recipe was adapted by soup queen Merrill Silver from a recipe on the Southern Living site.

Watermelon Gazpacho (approximately 5 servings)
Ingredients
5 cups cubed watermelon
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber or more to taste
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt.

Directions
1. Process watermelon, cucumber, onion and jalapeño in a blender or food processor until smooth.
2. Stir in vinegar and salt.
3. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Serve in small bowls or glasses.
Hints: Garnish with feta or mint.
Add lemon juice to taste.
Use basil in the mix.
Add a little olive oil.

Cucumbers are so cooling. Think of putting slices on tired eyelids after a day in the sun, The following recipe is from one of our super chefs, Sarita Eisenberg. There’s a surprise ingredients

photo: SEisenberg

Cucumber Gazpacho (approximately 4-6 servings)
Ingredients
3 cucumbers (2 pounds)- peeled, seeded and cut into chunks.
9 ounces seedless green grapes
1 small clove garlic
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water, or more if needed

Directions
1. In a blender, combine 1/4 cup water and cucumbers (one at a time); puree until smooth.
2. Add grapes (one third at a time), puree until smooth after each addition.
3. Add remaining ingredients (plus additional water, if needed) and puree to blend.
4. Chill at least i hour.
Hints: Use English cucumbers (the long ones wrapped in plastic ); you won’t have to seed them.
Blend using an immersion blender. The texture will not be quite as fine as with a blender, but it works well.

Also from Sarita is this fruit soup which is about as simple as it gets.

photo: SEisenberg

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup (serves 4-6)
Ingredients
1 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/3 cup orange juice
lime wedges-optional

Directions
1.Put orange juice in blender and gradually add melon chunks, pureeing until smooth.
2. Chill at least 1 hour.
3. Serve with lime wedges

Hints: This soup has the consistency of a milkshake. Serve it in glasses.
To give the soup a little kick, try some chile lime seasoning available at Trader Joe’s.

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One thought on “Cool Down with Soup”

  1. Here’s a comment and delicious sounding soup from superb Shomrei cook Carolyn Lack:
    This is the easiest , colorful summer soup.
    Melon Soup
    Blend 1 ripe cantaloupe & 2 TB lemon juice. Pour into bowl
    Blend small honeydew ( or 1/2 large ) & 2 TB fresh lime juice. Pour into a separate bowl.
    refrigerate 3 hrs.
    Pour (simultaneously) into serving bowls.
    They will not separate.
    Garnish with minced mint or any berry.

What do you think?