Chilled Cucumber-yogurt-avocado Soup
YOGURT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
In the Mediterranean, yogurt is enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in a variety of interesting, sweet, and savory ways. Often, it’s used as a dip or dressing, it’s the main ingredient of a marinade, replaces mayonnaise and stars in desserts and drinks.
Another great way of using yogurt beyond breakfast time is to make a hot or cold soup. Most yogurt soups start with a creamy, Greek-style yogurt, and a grain like rice, bulgur, or pasta. This wonderful chilled soup is an excellent example of using yogurt but in a modern, delightful way!
Ingredients
- 2 large spring onions trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 4 large cucumbers peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
- 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1-1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt preferably whole-milk
- 4 Tbsp extra-virgin Greek olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 scant tsp ground cumin
- Greek sea salt to taste
- 2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Place the scallions, garlic, cucumber, and herbs in the bowl of a food processor and pulse on and off with a little salt until everything is pureed. Scored and remove the pulp from the avocado and place that in the food processor bowl, too. Pulse until creamy.
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Add the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Add 1 cup of ice water and pulse to combine. Chill the soup for at least one hour before serving. If the soup is too thick at that point, dilute it with a little ice water and adjust the seasonings to taste.
