Cold Soups

Minted Pea Soup
Gourmet | June 1999
Louisa Service, London, England

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but may require additional sitting time.

Even though it might seem odd to use frozen peas during fresh pea season, they are infinitely easier to deal with than fresh peas in the pod — particularly when making a quick dish such as this soup whizzed up in a blender.

Yield: Makes about 8 cups

Ingredients

1 small onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds frozen peas
5 cups chicken stock or low-salt broth
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup heavy cream (or ‚ cup heavy cream mixed with 1/2 cup plain yogurt)

Preparation

Finely chop onion.

In a 4-quart heavy saucepan cook onion in butter with salt to taste over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Add peas and 3 cups stock and simmer, uncovered, until peas are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in mint and remaining 2 cups stock and remove pan from heat.

In a blender purée soup in batches until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), forcing each batch through a sieve into a large bowl. (Discard solids in sieve between batches.)

Whisk in cream (or cream-yogurt mixture) and salt and pepper to taste.

If serving soup cold, chill, covered. If serving soup hot, reheat but do not let boil.

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Chilled Artichoke Soup

12oz canned artichokes
3/4 pint chicken stock (1.5 cups)
1/4 tsp dried oregano (omitted)
2tbs lemon juice
1/2 pint skim milk (1 cup)
salt and pepper (omitted add'l salt, used white pepper)
paprika (omitted)

Drain and rinse the artichoke hearts and then blitz them in a blender or food processor with half the chicken stock until smooth. Add in and blend the rest of the ingredients except the paprika. Chill.

Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle the top with paprika just before taking to the table.

(Tested 7/19/2011 -- used white pepper instead of black, no paprika; used 3 small fresh thyme sprigs from roof garden; no add'l salt. I would use a higher proportion of artichoke hearts to broth and milk next time. This was a very thin soup, though it was delicious.)

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Cold Korean Cucumber Soup (

Ingredients

2 cucumbers
2 cups chicken broth, degreased
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper
4 green onions, chopped on the diagonal
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
15 to 20 ice cubes

If the cucumbers are waxy, peel them. If the skin is thin and unwaxed, leave it on. Cut the cucumber into matchstick julienne, about 2 inches in length. To make the soup more attractive, cut the ends of the matchsticks on the diagonal.

In a large serving bowl, mix together the chicken broth, water, cider vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and white pepper. Stir in the cucumber and green onions. Chill well.

Just before serving, stir the ice cubes and sesame seeds into the soup. Taste the soup to correct the seasonings. It should be pleasantly tart and slightly salty, with a hint of sesame. If the flavorings seem too strong, then dilute with additional water, but keep in mind that the ice cubes will thin down the flavors as they melt.

http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/korea/cold-cucumber-soup.html#axzz1RwTMu3Ct

(Tested recipe 7/13/2011 -- very good.)


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Chilled Corn Soup

Recipe by Aran Goyoaga, Cannelle et Vanille blog. Originally featured in the Special Summer Issue of Everyday Food magazine. (Reprinted with permission)

Serves 6
Active Time: 45 min
Total Time: 45 min + chilling

Ingredients:
8 ears corn, husks and silk removed
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced small
4 scallions (white and light-green parts only), thinly sliced
chopped fresh cilantro leaves or cilantro flowers (optional), for serving

1. Cut off tips of corn and stand in a wide shallow bowl. With a sharp knife, cut kernels off cobs. Place cobs in a large pot, along with milk and 6 cups water; bring to a boil over high. Reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid is slightly reduced, 15 minutes. Discard cobs.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high. Add shallots and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, 2 minutes. Add corn kernels and cook until crisp-tender, 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer corn to pot with milk mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until corn is soft, 15 minutes.

3. In batches, fill blender halfway with soup and purée until smooth. (Use caution when blending hot liquids: Remove cap from lid and cover opening with a dish towel.) Pour liquid through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl, pressing on solids; discard solids. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until cool, 1 hour (or, covered, up to overnight). Divide chilled soup among bowls and top with bell pepper, scallions, and cilantro.

Nutritional Information per serving: 271 cal; 15 g fat (5 g sat fat); 9 g protein; 32 g carb; 3 g fiber