How to Make Cool Summer Soups

Summer is right around the corner, and it's getting too hot to spend much time in the kitchen, and sometimes you just don't want to sit down to a big, hot dinner. There are lots of alternatives: sandwiches, salads, and, most especially, summer soups served cold, such as hearty, spicy Gazpacho, rich. colorful Borscht, creamy, elegant Vichysoisse and tangy, refreshing Khyar Bi Laban. Here are some good Cool Summer Soup recipes and a few serving tips and suggestions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Different ingredients for each soup
• Cookware
• Attractive serving bowls
• Various condiments to pass around.

1. Gazpacho GAZPACHO:
   Ingredients:
   4 cups tomato juice (or Vegetable Juice--I like to use V8)
   1/2 cup chopped onion
   1 clove of garlic, minced, or garlic to taste
   1 medium bell pepper, of any color, chopped
   1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
   2 whole scallions, chopped
   Juice of 1 lemon (or 1 lime, or both)
   2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
   1 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 teaspoons fresh basil, julienned
   1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
   1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
   2 to 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
   Salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne--to taste
   2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced, or 2 cups canned diced tomatoes (fresh are good if you can get them at a Farmer's Market)
   2 or 3 sliced jalapenos (optional)
   
   Combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl. Chill until very cold, at least a few hours before serving. Pass bottles of hot sauce. May be served with a dollop of sour cream on top. Tortilla chips go well with this, on the side.
2. Borscht BORSCHT:
   Ingredients:
   1 bunch beets, peeled and coarsely grated, or cut into matchsticks
   2 medium yellow onions, minced
   2 large carrots, shredded or cut in matchsticks
   1 small, or 1/2 large, white cabbage, finely shredded
   2 Tablespoons olive oil
   1 quart vegetable stock (or water)
   Juice of 1 lemon
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
   Sour cream and parsley for garnish
   1 whole boiled potato per diner OR 1 scoop of cold mashed potatoes per diner
   
   Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add beets, onions, carrots, along with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes.
   
   Add the cabbage and vegetable stock or water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft.
   
   Add the salt, pepper and lemon juice, and chill for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
   
   Garnish with a potato, or a blob of mashed potatoes, and a glob of sour cream in each diner's soup bowl.
   
   This soup really stands on its own and needs no accompaniment.
3. Vichysoisse VICHYSOISSE:
   Ingredients:
   2 Tablespoons butter
   3 cups chopped onions
   1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
   4 medium potatoes (about 2 lbs.) peeled and diced
   2 cups half-and-half, or light cream
   up to 1/2 pint heavy cream
   white pepper, to taste
   minced chives for garnish
   
   Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the onions and salt and cook on low to medium heat until the onions are soft, transparent, and just beginning to brown a bit.
   
   Add the potatoes and water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered until the potatoes are VERY tender, about 15 minutes.
   
   Puree until smooth, in a blender or with a hand-blender. Alternatively, mash them until they are VERY smooth, then beat them with a large fork.
   
   Stir in the half-and-half and cream and the white pepper.
   
   Chill until very cold, at least a few hours. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped chives on top. This soup really needs no accompaniment, but it's good with chilled white wine. A good, crusty French bread alongside couldn't hurt.
4. Khyar bi Laban KHYAR BI LABAN:
   Ingredients:
   2 quarts yogurt, preferably homemade
   4 medium cucumbers (Persian ones, if you can get them) peeled, shredded and drained
   4 cloves garlic, minced
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
   1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (spearmint is best, if you have a choice) OR 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried mint flakes
   1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, for garnish (optional but REALLY good!)
   A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.
   
   Place the yogurt into a large bowl and whisk until it is very liquid and smooth.
   
   Add the cucumbers, garlic, salt, pepper and mint. Blend thoroughly.
   
   Cover and refrigerate both to chill and for the flavors to meld. The flavors will intensify with standing, so leaving it overnight is a good idea, though you only really need to refrigerate it for a few hours.
   
   Drizzle with olive oil, if you use it, and top with a sprinkling of pine nuts. Serve with pita bread, quartered into triangles.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep an eye on the weather forecast. When it's going to be HOT tomorrow, make the soup at night, so you aren't doing it during the hottest part of the day. Also, these soups are best when they've had a chance to chill thoroughly, and overnight is perfect.
• Each of these soups can be a meal in itself, or may be an accompaniment to a larger meal.
• Be very careful when chopping vegetables that you use a clean, very sharp knife, and keep your fingertips curled under, out of the way.
• Don't overdo it with the jalapenos in the Gazpacho. They get stronger as they stand. You can always add more, if you feel you need them, but taking them out after the fact doesn't really help at all.