A refreshing soup for a hot day! And it’s really easy. (And it’s a really fast way to use up some of the million cucumbers you’ve got building up from your garden and your CSA box … ) I didn’t totally make it up — there are lots of recipes like this out there with dill. Cucumber goes so well with herbs, though, that you could pretty much do it with any soft leafy herb — cilantro would be good, mint would be good …
Cucumber Buttermilk Soup
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded (slice them in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with a spoon)
- buttermilk
- 2 cloves garlic
- about a quarter-cup of red onion
- a couple nice sprigs of basil
- ground coriander, salt, and pepper to taste
Roughly chop the cucumbers and toss them in a food processor. Add the garlic, red onion, and basil. Blitz ’em for a minute until you have smallish chunks, and then add some buttermilk and blend again, adding more buttermilk if necessary, until you get the texture you like. (Go easy to begin with– you can always add more buttermilk, but you can’t take it out.) I like the soup right around the same consistency as applesauce. Season with coriander, salt, and pepper, and chill for a couple of hours to let the flavors blend. Serve cold!
This sounds lovely! And I’m finally getting cucumbers and always have some buttermilk. I used to eat this in Sweden but I had forgotten about it – thank you! I bet the basil, garlic and onion would be yummy in there. If you add oregano that would make it a little Greek, too. I bet it would be nice to personalize with fresh herbs!
Oh, yeah. (: I think just about any green leafy herb would be nice. Maybe add a little jalapeño if you go with cilantro — mm yummy! Of course, you can always make gazpacho too … I’m up to my ears in both cucumbers and tomatoes right now, so I might be doing that soon.