SippitySup

I recently pulled off a really delicious Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup while in Palm Springs. Cold summer soup when it’s hot outside is a good thing. In case you didn’t know it, it gets hot in Palm Springs. In July it gets crazy hot. So hot you might have to be crazy to go there. So call me crazy. Independence Day in Palm Springs is a tradition among my friends.

I may be crazy, but I still gotta eat. In fact I often have a crowd of crazy people to feed when I’m in Palm Springs.

When it’s crazy (desert) hot, cooking can be a chore. So this year I turned to a super simple Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup. I didn’t really plan to make this soup. But we had everything we needed– including a chicken stock made from the leftovers from the previous night’s meal. I know I said it’s crazy to cook when it’s desert hot outside, but it’s even crazier to let a perfectly good chicken carcass go to waste just because it’s crazy hot outside.

Besides, it was the good chicken stock that inspired this Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup in the first place. After all, I went to the trouble of making chicken stock in the 105 degree desert heat, naturally I am going to use it in something special.

Cucumber-Avocado Soup

In this case special came in the form of default Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup.

Wine Pairing

Domaine Seguinot Bordet- Pairing Wine with Avocados 

I’ve been known to say that “wine is a health food.” Recent medical journals recommend that a glass or two of red wine is good for your heart and can actually prevent cancer (UK’s University of Leicester study). Plus the “French Paradox” is often cited: how can the French eat so much rich food, sauce and butter, […]

Ken Eskenazi

Price $24

Pairs well with appetizers, Asian dishes, egg dishes, fish, oysters, sushi

Default recipes. We all have them. I often feature a default pasta night here on Sippity Sup. It’s different every time and that is sorta the idea behind default recipes.

Default recipes are great when you just feel like opening up the fridge and making something from whatever is on hand at the moment. As I said pasta is a great candidate, as are frittatas, quesadillas and even crostini. I swear I could make an interesting tapenade from the leftovers of your fast food lunch– don’t laugh I bet I could.

One of my go-to summertime default recipes is Avocado Soup. It can be as simple and surprising as equal parts avocado and milk whirled in the blender. You can incorporate more flavors or textures such as cucumber or chilled shellfish if you like. You can use chicken stock (as I did in this Cucumber-Avocado Soup) or vegetable stock, or leave the stock out completely. In other words this is a true default summer soup.

However, there is more to a summer soup than merely chilling something flavorful. Summer soups have a whole psychology about them that must be considered when choosing how to prepare one. Because when it’s hot outside a bit of spice on the tongue tricks the brain into thinking its cooler than it really is. I don’t know how and I don’t know why. But I promise you its true.

So keeping with the spirit of both summer soup and default cooking I added a pinch of cayenne to this Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup. GREG

Expand Recipe…

Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup 

By: Greg Henry

Print This Recipe Total time 15 minutes Yield 6Published July 8, 2014

Ingredients

• 1 English cucumber (peeled and chopped)
• 2–3 ripe but firm avocados (peeled, pitted and chopped) about 1½ lbs
• 2 sliced scallions (white and light green parts only)
• 1 cup chicken broth (may substitute vegetable broth, more milk, or water)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• parsley sprigs (as garnish)

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Directions

In the bowl of a food processor or blender combine the cucumber, avocado and scallions. Pulse several times until the mixture is uniformly chopped.

Add broth, milk and lemon juice and continue to process until the mixture is completely smooth.

Season with white pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper, then refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours.

Taste for seasoning and serve in chilled bowls with parsley as garnish.