Cold soups
Before you grimace at the thought of soup in the summer, try out these cold ones
Avocado Soup with Salsa
Serves 6 as a starter
2 ripe avocados
1½ lime – juice only
3 cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
small handful of fresh coriander, stalks and leaves separated
handful of ice cubes, roughly crushed
400ml vegetable stock, chilled
200g natural Greek yoghurt
few dashes of Tabasco
extra virgin olive oil to serve
For the salsa
4 ripe plum tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 spring onions, finely chopped
few dashes of Tabasco
small handful of chopped fresh coriander
juice of ½ lime
l Make the salsa by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. Season, cover and chill until needed. You can make one day in advance.
l To make the soup, halve and stone the avocados, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and put in a food processor. Add the lime juice, chopped cucumber, chopped spring onions, coriander stalks, ice and half the vegetable stock. Whiz until smooth.
l Tip into a large bowl and stir in the rest of the stock, yoghurt and Tabasco. Chop the coriander leaves, stir into the soup and season.
l Divide the soup between six bowls and top each one with a spoonful of salsa and a drizzle of olive oil.
Lettuce and Cucumber Soup
Serves 4
3 cucumbers
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Cos lettuce, roughly chopped
1 litre vegetable/chicken stock
seasoning
4 tbsp natural strained yoghurt to serve
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives to garnish
l Cut 12 thin slices from one of the cucumbers and set aside for the garnish. Peel the remaining ones, cut in half and chop.
l Heat the oil and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the cucumber, lettuce and the stock; bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
l Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Puree in a food processor, blender or press through a fine sieve. Season and serve warm or leave to cool and chill for at least two hours.
l To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls and swirl a spoonful of yoghurt into each one. Garnish with the reserved cucumber slices and chives.
Gazpacho
Serves 4
1kg ripe tomatoes
1 green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
60ml olive oil
60ml tarragon wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
For the garnishes
1 small cucumber, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green and 1 red pepper, seeded and finely diced
l Place tomatoes and green pepper in a food processor and process for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, olive oil, vinegar and seasoning and process for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in a bowl and chill for a few hours.
l Prepare the bowls of garnishes and serve with the chilled soup.
