Tag Archives: Summer Soups

Green Goddess Chilled Soup

Most of the year I live a fairly hermit-like existence. Don’t feel badly for me, I like it that way. Sometimes it’s all about JOMO (the Joy Of Missing Out). But come summer, I try to cram in as much socializing as is possible. I am fortunate to be able to spend most of the summer on the lake, at our cottage. We have family and friends almost every weekend.

Although I love cooking, I don’t want to spend all my time in the kitchen, so I try to keep things simple. All my guests know that when they ask what they can bring, I ask them to be responsible for one meal. My friends and family are very skilled in the kitchen so it’s really nice to spend the afternoon on the hammock and be called to the deck for aperitivo and dinner.

I spend a day in the kitchen during the week doing meal prep, washing and chopping vegetables, making salad dressings and dips and baking some cookies or squares and stashing them in the freezer. That way, when the weekend rolls around I just have to thaw, assemble and grill.

Each summer I try to find a few new dishes that are big on flavour, look pretty and are able to be made in advance. Then I make them every weekend. The guests change and don’t realize it was served last weekend. This works until my husband and I are sick of eating it. That usually sets in by mid-August.

This chilled Green Goddess Soup is going on the summer rotation. I love it because everything is buzzed in the blender and it keeps in the fridge for 2 days. As the summer progresses you can garnish it with sweet corn niblets and diced vine ripened tomatoes. For now, some fresh herbs and cucumber ribbons look really fancy.

This soup was inspired by Melissa Clark’s Chilled Cucumber Soup over at NYT Cooking. I decided to play with the flavours of Green Goddess dressing and added an avocado to the mix for added richness. Cucumber is fairly bland, so it needs help from lots of herbs, a touch of garlic and a secret flavour bomb of an ingredient, anchovy paste. The soup will not taste fishy, but it adds a wonderful rich and deep flavour note.

I used basil, mint, Italian parsley and dill. For the liquid, I used Greek yogurt, thinned with a bit of water. A squeeze of lemon and a splash of sherry vinegar add a hit of acidic freshness.

Click here to print recipe for Green Goddess Chilled Soup.

Chilled Melon Soup

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The first time I ever saw two different kinds of soup in the same bowl, I thought it was just so magical. Corn soup on the left and Black Black Bean soup on the right. And they just stayed on their own sides of the bowl, never crossing that center line and mixing! Like at a Chassidic wedding. How did they do it? The secret is to have two liquids of roughly the same consistency, and to pour them at the same time, from opposite sides into a shallow bowl.

I got all fancy for you and poured my soups into glass pitchers. But you can just use two 1/2 cup measuring cups and it will work perfectly.

My friend Margo served these melon soups to us a few weeks ago at a big gathering at our cottage. They were so refreshing and light, I had to get the recipe to share with you. I couldn’t believe it when she said that it was simply honeydew pureed with mint and canteloupe pureed with orange juice! I added a touch of lime to my honeydew soup.

Click here to print recipe for Melon Soup.

Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup

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I know what you’re thinking. “Really?? Who needs another gazpacho soup recipe?” But before you abandon this post and surf on over to see what’s new for fall at Joe Fresh, just hear me out. This is a little different than your typical cold tomato soup. Half the tomatoes get roasted, for a smoky depth of flavour, and the other half are left fresh, to enhance their tangy bright nature. Combining fresh and roasted tomatoes was the brainchild of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. They featured this soup in their July 2012 issue. I tarted it up a bit with some summer toppings.

Squeeze in a dollop of tomato paste to ramp up the umami factor. Sprinkle in a dusting of smoked paprika and cayenne and this soup is humming. Throw in some roasted garlic and shallots for fun. Yes, I’m going to ask you to turn on your oven in August, but it will be worth it. Once everything is roasted, puree the whole lot, along with some fresh tomatoes and strain it for a velvety smooth texture. Finish it off with corn, avocado and basil and you have summertime in a bowl. Have I got your attention yet?

Click here to print recipe for Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup.

Smoky Roasted Gazpacho Soup

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It probably wouldn’t shock you to learn that I am a very organized person. Each spring, I dump out the stale spices in my alphabetized drawer and buy fresh ones. The only one I never have to toss is the smoked paprika. I go through that stuff on a stunningly regular basis. It make everything taste better. It typically sneaks it’s way onto roasted vegetables, like cauliflower, sweet potatoes, squash and carrots. I recently made a smoked paprika and garlic vinaigrette that took roasted broccoli to another dimension.

Smoked paprika has that transcendent ability to take a dish to a very delicious new height.This soup was adapted from a roasted vegetable gazpacho that I stumbled upon while browsing through Donna Hay’s Modern Classics: Book 1. I have most of her books and regularly use them for styling and photography inspiration. Her collaboration with photographer Con Poulos has created multitudes of awe inspiring images.

Donna’s soup was heavy on the roasted red peppers and light on the roasted tomatoes. I flipped this because I love tomatoes way more than peppers. When I saw the addition of smoked paprika, I knew I had to try it.After blending I took a taste and decided that the heat and smoky flavour needed to be boosted. A teaspoon of my favourite chipotle tabasco made all the difference! Additional smokiness without painful heat.I diced up some red peppers and cucumbers to garnish the soup and served it with some grilled sourdough for dipping. After chilling in the fridge overnight the soup was even richer and deeper in flavour the next day.