Some Like It Cold: Summer Soups
This is my third post on summer cooking. See also Cool Summer Cooking Tips and Healthy and Tasty Summer Salads.
Most of us have been programmed to enjoy hot soup. Yet there are a few soups that most of us eat cold, and summer is the right time for them. Cold soups that come to mind are:
- Fruit soups. Kate provided a simple no-cook strawberry and pear soup (recipe below) Fruit soup is similar to a compote, and is easy to cook up in the microwave.
- Gazpacho. This uncooked soup, which can also be made from leftover salad, usually calls for canned tomato juice. I like this Spanish Gazpacho by Liz Steinberg, because fresh tomatoes are among the few ingredients. Bonus: How to Use Up Leftover Gazpacho.
- Summer Beet Borsht or Beet Soup with Ginger and Cumin are classically served cold.
- Vichyssoise is also normally served cold, and made with potatoes and leeks. Here’s a recipe from All Recipes, Classic Vichyssoise. If you follow a kosher or vegetarian diet you’ll want to substitute vegetable broth.
But you know what? Vegetables can be the base of an excellent cold soup. Paula offers Gingered Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. Zucchini or winter squash soups, like Pumpkin Soup with White Wine and Rosemary, would also taste good cold.
Kate’s No-Cook Strawberry-Pear Soup:
Ingredients:
- 4 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
1/2 cup water
2 ripe pears, cored and cut into medium dice
3/4-1 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/4 cup white sugar
Instructions:
Using an immersion or regular blender, puree strawberries with water, diced pears, and apple juice. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste; how much sugar is necessary will depend on the berries themselves.
I’ll bet some of your favorite hot soups will taste just as good cold, especially with some yogurt or herb garnish. Experiment, because you never know until you try.
What cold soups can you recommend? Please share links or recipes in the comments.
You may also enjoy:
Healthy and Tasty Summer Salads
Keep Hot Foods Hot and Cold Foods Cold
Related posts:
Browse Timeline
- Next: » Is It Better to Cook Whole Chickens or Parts?
- Previous: « Cool Summer Cooking Tips
Comments ( 5 )
Oh wow Kate’s No-Cook Strawberry-Pear Soup sounds PERFECT for Shabbat morning on a hot summers day-I serve Gazpacho very often in the summer but I think my family and friends would love this too:)
Thank you for the recipe
Daniela recently posted..Chag Shavuot Sameach
Daniela added these pithy words on
Jun 07 11 at
6:58 PM
Lots of very inspiring recipes, thanks!
Ilana-Davita recently posted..Interviewing a Rabbi – part 2
Ilana-Davita added these pithy words on
Jun 10 11 at
12:09 AM
We make carrot soup cold.
Saute 1 onion a few cloves of garlic, 6-8 carrots cut into rounds till soft. Add water and spices (I add basil, and thyme or cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger salt pepper) boil till very soft and puree.I serve cold and if we have a milchig meal, people swirl in cream.
Yael Maizels added these pithy words on
Jun 10 11 at
1:10 PM
Two favorite cold soups are:
Cold Curried Coconut Carrot Soup http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cold-Curried-Carrot-and-Coconut-Milk-Soup-12489 (replacing the chicken stock with water doesn’t noticeably impact the soup)
Zucchini Pear http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/recipe-of-the-day-zucchini-pear-soup/#more-488 (great for those whose objection to zucchini is mostly about texture; the garnish is totally not optional, but you can replace mint with other chopped herbs, pesto, or other sauces)
GilaB added these pithy words on
Jun 22 11 at
11:15 PM
I'm Hannah Katsman, a mother of six who likes to help home cooks save time and money. At Cooking Manager, you'll learn tips and techniques for cooking healthy foods from natural ingredients with a minimum of time and effort. Topics include menu planning, shopping, using up leftovers, gadgets and appliances, and more.
