Chilled Cucumber Soup

There is a debate going on in my house as to whether I should post this recipe up or not. I made this yesterday for lunch and although it has great flavor, it was a little thin. The picture does the soup no justice. What looks like a thick soup is really just some thick foam from being blended in the Vitamix. I know what to do to make the soup thicker and still taste great, but have not tried it yet. Caroline says that I should try it first and then post. Well, I am stubborn and am going to post anyway.

Like I said, this soup has some great flavor. That comes from the pan roasted garlic and the watercress. If you haven’t used watercress in a while, it is really delicious. Here’s a quick recipe that I’ll post up later: avocado with bacon, watercress and lemon. Wow, it’s a flavor combination that makes your head ring. Watercress has a subtle spiciness about it that offers this soup some layered flavor without ever cooking it. If you can find watercress that still has the root bundle, toss it in a glass with cold water and it will last on your windowsill for about a week or more. Remember to keep watering it though.

The reason this recipe was so thin is that I juiced all the cucumber rather than blending some of it. So, for the revised recipe which I will post up, I added that step into the mix. Give this a shot on a hot afternoon as it is so refreshing. I think that this soup would go great with a mojito personally. I watched a show yesterday where they made a French Mojito- make the mojito as you would normally, but leave some room in the glass to top with champagne. Haven’t tried that either, but it sounds good to me.

Makes about 4 cups of chilled soup

5 organic cucumbers, washed
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bunch watercress (including stems), rinsed
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil

This recipe needs a juicer, but if you don’t have one you can still give it a whirl in a high-powered blender and then strain out the solids. Make sure you mash them around a bit with a wooden spoon to get all the goods.

I like to roast my garlic, so today we will do a bit of pan roasting. In a small sauté pan, add a 1 count of olive oil. Turn the pan to medium-low heat. When the pan is warm, add the garlic. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes or until the garlic turns golden brown. Be careful not to burn as the garlic will taste bitter. If you smell bitterness, start over on a lower heat setting.

Take 2 large cucumbers and cut them lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and discard. Chop the cucumber into large dice.

Take 3 of the cucumbers and juice them. You should yield about 3 cups of juice. Add cucumber juice, watercress, citrus juices, sea salt and garlic to the high speed blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes on high (or the super high on a VitaMix) until the watercress is completely incorporated.

Add the remaining cucumber dice and blend on low or medium low for about 45 seconds to a minute. The result should be a deliciously refreshing soup. If you like, put into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool down after the blending process. You could add some creme fraiche in the middle of the soup or a dollop of sour cream would add some unctuousness to the dish as well.

If it isn’t thick enough, let me know and I will have to figure something else out. Sounds pretty good to me though! Hope that you enjoy.

This soup has excellent flavor and depth. Photo by Scott Groth