Lemon Cucumber Soup – Refreshingly Chilled
Invigorating chilled Lemon Cucumber Soup recipe is prepared the Mediterranean style, utilizing heirloom lemon cucumbers, yogurt, lemon, and aromatic herbs!
Look for ‘Lemon Cucumbers’ at your local farmers markets, or cultivate them, you’ll be pleased you did!
Invigoratingly Chilled Cucumber Soup
Cucumber soup has frequently been enjoyed in France.
Most recipes I’ve discovered indicated that a chilled cucumber soup, served on sweltering summer days, originated there.
Yet, if you travel to Andalusia on a hot summer afternoon, you will experience the refreshing nature of a cucumber gazpacho.
This brings me back to my own heritage, the Middle Eastern region, which Andalusia is significantly influenced by.
Mediterranean Invigorating Summer Starter
Arabs, however, have been concocting a cold, refreshing beverage from yogurt for centuries. A beverage often enjoyed as a starter or light meal.
The yogurt is predominantly Homemade Yogurt. This Middle Eastern beverage is recognized as Ayran.
Yogurt, a splash of ice water, and a dash of salt, create a delightful sip during the hot summer period due to the wealth of vitamins contained in cucumbers.
What Is A Lemon Cucumber?
The summer heat has bestowed upon me an abundance of Lemon Cucumbers that will harmonize beautifully with yogurt in this chilled soup recipe.
A lemon cucumber is an heirloom variety of cucumbers, round like a tennis ball and yellow like a lemon.
What Does A Lemon Cucumber Taste Like?
Despite its ‘lemon’ designation, they don’t possess a citrus-like taste.
They simply taste like a classic elongated, sweet, green cucumber.
Once I acquired seeds for this delightful cucumber, and observed how robustly they thrive, they have become my preferred cucumber throughout the summer.
Other than a few traditional cucumber plants I will still incorporate into my garden, I mainly cultivate these now.
They make for a stunning Cucumber Salad and are exceptional in Tzatziki!
Greek Yogurt vs Sour Cream
While sour cream may be easily exchanged in various recipes, let’s clarify, sour cream lacks the nutritional advantages of genuine yogurt.
Indeed, I said genuine yogurt.
Not all yogurt has been adequately fermented to achieve the required daily values of probiotics.
Instead, many yogurts incorporate the probiotics, thickening agents, and occasionally gelatin.
Therefore, if you desire both a refreshingly light meal on a warm day and the added health benefits, opt for quality, plain genuine yogurt for this revitalizing soup.
A Note About Greek Yogurt
As I have stated previously, my worries regarding acquiring authentic yogurt with genuine probiotics, rather than artificial ones, most Greek yogurt brands have proven to be genuine.
How can I be certain?
Authentic Yogurt
During my childhood, we prepared yogurt the Syrian manner; boil milk, cool it down to 115 degrees, incorporate half a cup of authentic yogurt, cover it, and leave it out overnight.
The following day, it will have thickened. Keep it in the refrigerator and retain half a cup as a starter for the subsequent batch.
Imitation Yogurt
I’ve never experienced an issue finding store-bought yogurt containing live probiotics to initiate my own batch (similar to sourdough bread) until 1998.
Out of the blue, every yogurt brand began degrading their process, which also eliminated the natural, beneficial probiotics.
I examined 10 different brands!
Fast forward to 2019, when various Greek yogurt brands surfaced in the market, or small dairy farm yogurt producers, and I conducted tests once more.
It was successful!
Therefore, I exclusively purchase these brands.
Is Greek Yogurt Excessively Thick For A Chilled Yogurt Soup?
Yes and no!
Clearly, Greek yogurt is too dense to drink or have the texture of a soup.
However, once the succulent cucumbers are blended, lemon juice and olive oil combined, the texture is just right.
A dash of ice-cold water can always be incorporated to modify the texture, but at the very least, you will be assured that your yogurt has maintained the natural health benefits we desire in our food.
Summer Chilled Yogurt Cucumber Soup
If you seek a light dinner or a quick lunch, having a container of chilled Greek yogurt cucumber soup in the refrigerator for several days is simply smart during the summer.
With merely a handful of straightforward ingredients, you can concoct this revitalizing soup in just a few minutes.
Storing Lemon Cucumber Soup Until Ready To Serve
After the cucumber yogurt soup has been prepared, it will remain in an airtight container for several days.
When you’re prepared to serve, merely give it a shake, adjust the salt, and add a splash of ice water if necessary, then serve.
Cooking For Television
Having received an invitation to FOX WBFF Television studio to present a few of my recipes, this was one of those I brought along.
Transported in an airtight container, on ice, it was incredibly easy to pour and serve.
Making it ideal for picnics and meals on boats.
Why was I invited to the TV studio?
I had just completed being featured in an 8-episode cooking series, The Great American Recipe with PBS, and the news channel was thrilled to share my stories with our state!
How To Prepare Cold Greek Yogurt Lemon Cucumber Soup
If utilizing a conventional cucumber, simply peel and cut into smaller pieces.
If using the heirloom lemon cucumber, take a moment to remove the insides, keeping the outer part to serve the soup in.
All the components are tossed into a food processor, a blender, or pureed with an immersion blender and blended into a creamy cold soup that is ready to serve right away.
It’s as easy as that!
Equipment Needed
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Small spoon – like a demitasse spoon
- Blender
- Measuring spoons
- Garlic press
Required Components
- 4 Lemon Cucumbers or 2 English cucumbers
- 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt homemade
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt or to taste
- 2 tbsp Fresh Dill extra for garnish
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If you opt for lemon cucumbers, carefully slice off a small section of the top and scoop them out, keeping the leftover chopped cucumber pieces. Retain the lemon cucumber balls to serve as petite bowls. For English cucumbers, just peel and keep finely diced cucumber. Small decorative serving bowls will be necessary.
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Put the chopped cucumber pieces into a food processor with the remaining components and blend until you achieve a creamy texture. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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For an immersion blender and a substantial bowl, mix cucumber, plain yogurt, and lemon juice (lime juice is an alternative if you prefer), and blend until you reach a creamy texture. Incorporate the other components and blend once more. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve it cold.
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When ready to serve, shake the mixture well to combine. Taste to check if you desire more salt. If the mixture thickens, simply whisk in a bit of extra cold water to achieve your preferred consistency, though the cucumber juice should provide adequate liquid for the ideal cold cucumber soup recipe. Spoon into each bowl, add a drizzle of olive oil on top, and garnish with a sprig of dill.
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