With summer temperatures in the triple digits, it is interesting to observe how people choose to cope with the heat. One of my favorite observed solutions occurred during one particularly sweltering California summer almost 30 years ago.
I walked into the home of a friend of mine to see her sitting in front of a fan, eating ice-cream, her feet swishing back and forth contentedly in a plastic tub of cold water.
This decades old memory prompted the following recipes as a modern antidote to pints of ice-cream in front of a fan.
(However, putting your feet in cool water is a fast way to feel cool!)
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Avocado and Cucumber Soup
1/2 medium cucumber
1 ripe small California avocado
1 scallion
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup ice cubes
Garnish:
2 fresh coriander sprigs
Peel cucumber and cut into 4 pieces. Quarter avocado, removing pit, and peel. Cut scallion into large pieces. In a blender puree all ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
Serve soup garnished with coriander.
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Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 cups
Chilled Tarragon Tomato Soup with Vegetable Confetti
For tarragon tomato soup:
3 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, (about 8 medium)
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 1/2 cups ice water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
8 vine-ripened yellow cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped zucchini
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
Accompaniment:
Baguette toasts
Make soup:
Chop tomatoes and in a food processor puree with vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour puree through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids. Stir in ice water and salt and pepper to taste. Soup may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reseason soup before serving.
Stir tarragon into soup and thinly slice cherry tomatoes.
Serve soup sprinkles with tomatoes, zucchini, and onion, and with toasts on the side.
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