[Sca-cooks] Cool Cucumber Soup with a Cucumber-Herb Relish

[tom.vincent at yahoo.com]

Cool Cucumber Soup with a Cucumber-Herb Relish
 
Excerpted from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen. © 2006 by Deborah Madison. Used with permission of Broadway Books, New York. All rights reserved.
Makes 3 to 4 cups
 
This herb-green froth of a soup can be whipped together in a blender in moments, then chilled until serving. Served in glasses, it makes a refreshing way to begin a summer dinner, and it's a great convenience to have on hand in the refrigerator for a quick lunch or an afternoon bite.
A cucumber soup can be led in many directions. You can allow dill to predominate and garnish it with dill flowers, use a mixture of herbs as is done here, or use chives with a leaf or two of lovage, the perfect cucumber herb in my opinion. If you want the snap of chile, add minced jalapeño and lime.
 
The Soup:
2 pounds cucumbers 
1 cup buttermilk, whole-milk yogurt, sour cream, or a mixture 
1/2 cup coarsely chopped herbs, including basil, dill, cilantro, and lovage 
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 
Zest and juice of 2 lemons, or to taste 
The Cucumber Relish:
2 tablespoons minced chives or scallions 
1 tablespoon minced dill 
2 tablespoons each finely chopped basil and cilantro 
1 lovage leaf, finely slivered 
2 teaspoons olive oil 

1. Peel and seed the cucumber. Use one to make a cup of small dice and set it aside, then coarsely chop the rest. Puree in a blender or food processor with the buttermilk, chopped herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the zest and juice from 1 lemon. Chill.
2. Just before serving, toss the reserved diced cucumber with the herbs, a few pinches of salt, the olive oil, and the remaining lemon juice and zest.
3. Taste the soup for salt, pepper, and acidity, adding more lemon juice if needed, then serve in chilled bowls with the cucumber-herb relish.
 
LYNNE'S TIPS
Lovage has a flavor similar to celery, but bolder and spicier. 
Go for especially sweet cucumbers for this dish. The season is high, and stubby pickling cucumbers and the unfortunately named "burpless," or classier sounding "English" cukes can be treats. Don't wash produce before storing. If you seal whole cukes in bags, pressing out all the air, they will hold in the refrigerator a week. 
Even if it hasn't been possible in the past, it is time to buy organic directly from local farmers. If it's abundant and local, organic prices should be lower than at any other time of the year. 

THOUGHTS FROM LYNNE
In honor of Italy's victory in this year's World Cup, a delicious libation created by our friends Nan Bailly and Sam Haislett came to mind. A blend of fresh lime juice, sugar, and light red wine makes one of the most refreshing summertime coolers I know.
Sam, who found the original recipe in a newspaper, says look for an inexpensive, light-bodied, fruity red such as Spanish Tempranillo or Alexis Bailly Vineyard's Country Red. Both are under $12. Here's the recipe:
The World Cup Cup
Serves 6 to 8
Juice of 2 fresh limes 
1/3 cup sugar 
1 bottle light-bodies, fruity red wine, chilled 
Ice 
Lime wedges for garnish 
In a large pitcher combine the lime juice and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add the wine and stir. Pour wine mixture over ice in chilled wine glasses. Garnish with a wedge of lime.