What are some of your favorite cold soup recipes for summer?

GAZPACHO:


Ingredients:


4 cups tomato juice (or Vegetable Juice--I like to use V8)


1/2 cup chopped onion


1 clove of garlic, minced, or garlic to taste


1 medium bell pepper, of any color, chopped


1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped


2 whole scallions, chopped


Juice of 1 lemon (or 1 lime, or both)


2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar


1 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 teaspoons fresh basil, julienned


1/4 teaspoon ground cumin


1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced


2 to 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne--to taste


2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced, or 2 cups canned diced tomatoes (fresh are good if you can get them at a Farmer's Market)


2 or 3 sliced jalapenos (optional)





Combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl. Chill until very cold, at least a few hours before serving. Pass bottles of hot sauce. May be served with a dollop of sour cream on top. Tortilla chips go well with this, on the side.





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BORSCHT:


Ingredients:


1 bunch beets, peeled and coarsely grated, or cut into matchsticks


2 medium yellow onions, minced


2 large carrots, shredded or cut in matchsticks


1 small, or 1/2 large, white cabbage, finely shredded


2 Tablespoons olive oil


1 quart vegetable stock (or water)


Juice of 1 lemon


Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Sour cream and parsley for garnish


1 whole boiled potato per diner OR 1 scoop of cold mashed potatoes per diner





Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add beets, onions, carrots, along with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes.





Add the cabbage and vegetable stock or water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft.





Add the salt, pepper and lemon juice, and chill for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.





Garnish with a potato, or a blob of mashed potatoes, and a glob of sour cream in each diner's soup bowl.





This soup really stands on its own and needs no accompaniment.








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VICHYSOISSE:


Ingredients:


2 Tablespoons butter


3 cups chopped onions


1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt


4 medium potatoes (about 2 lbs.) peeled and diced


2 cups half-and-half, or light cream


up to 1/2 pint heavy cream


white pepper, to taste


minced chives for garnish





Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the onions and salt and cook on low to medium heat until the onions are soft, transparent, and just beginning to brown a bit.





Add the potatoes and water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered until the potatoes are VERY tender, about 15 minutes.





Puree until smooth, in a blender or with a hand-blender. Alternatively, mash them until they are VERY smooth, then beat them with a large fork.





Stir in the half-and-half and cream and the white pepper.





Chill until very cold, at least a few hours. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped chives on top. This soup really needs no accompaniment, but it's good with chilled white wine. A good, crusty French bread alongside couldn't hurt.What are some of your favorite cold soup recipes for summer?
***Cucumber Soup***





6 pounds cucumbers (about 6 cucumbers), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (12 cups)


2 yellow bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped


4 green onions, chopped


2 jalapeno peppers, minced


2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro


1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint


1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill


3 to 4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt


1 1/2 teaspoons salt


1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


3 cups plain yogurt


3 cups sour cream, divided


3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


2 teaspoons white wine vinegar


2 tablespoons minced fresh chives








Combine the cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, jalapenos, cilantro, mint, dill, garlic, Essence, salt, cayenne, yogurt, 2 cups sour cream, olive oil, and white wine vinegar in a large bowl. Working in batches, puree the ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Transfer the soup to the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the soup, with each bowl garnished with a dollop of the remaining sour cream and some of the minced chives.What are some of your favorite cold soup recipes for summer?
Cold Roast Tomato %26amp; Basil Soup





Ingredients:


2 tablespoons olive oil


2 1/2 pounds medium ripe tomatoes


3 medium onions


3 medium cloves garlic, smashed, but unskinned


1/2 to 1 pint water


Salt and pepper to taste


Tabasco to taste


Juice of 1/2 lemon


1 tablespoon catsup


6 small tomatoes, ripe


1/4 cup shredded basil





Directions:


Preheat oven to 400掳 F.





Brush a cookie sheet with oil. Place tomatoes with core side down on sheet. Peel onions, cut in half and place on sheet, cut side down around tomatoes. Bake in preheated 400掳F oven for 10 minutes. Add garlic to baking tray and cook 20 minutes more. By then tomato skins will split and onions will be tender to the fork. Let cool.





Skin tomatoes and garlic cloves. Put all vegetables in food processor and process until pureed. Pass through a sieve or a colander lined with three layers of cheesecloth.





Put in large bowl with 1/2 pint water, salt and pepper, Tabasco , lemon juice and catsup. Gradually, add more water to achieve preferred thickness. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator.





Chop small tomatoes, reserving their juice. Add juice and tomato pieces to soup. Garnish with basil.





Serves: 6
CHILLED WATERMELON SOUP


* 2 pounds seedless watermelon, diced


* 1 mango, diced


* 陆 ounce ginger, grated


* 8 ounces peach, apricot or berry puree


* 2 kumquats, sliced


* Edible flowers for garnish





METHOD:


Place 1 pound of diced watermelon in food processor and blend to liquefy. Set aside and refrigerate. Finely dice remaining watermelon and mango and place with grated ginger in a bowl and allow to marinate. When ready to serve, place an equal amount of the fruit puree in a soup bowl along with equal portions of the marinated melon-mango mixture. Top with watermelon juice. Garnish the rim of the bowl with kumquat slices and edible flower petals.
I make a killer Chilled Blueberry Soup. Blueberries are a great ';Superfood'; full of antioxidants too.


About 4 cups of berries, either fresh or frozen. Mix in a pot with 3 cups water, 2/3 cup sugar (can use Splenda), %26amp; about 1/4 tsp. allspice ground. Bring to boil and take off the heat. Process berry mix with16 oz. container plain yogurt in batches til smooth. Cover and chill.





When serving, drop spots of yogurt on top of soup in bowl then take a toothpick and drag thru to create a swirl. Pretty





Also I make a Gazpacho like everyone but I add chopped cooked shrimp to it. YUM!
I agree about gazpacho!





Just pulse some fresh cucumber, tomatoes (tomatoes are primary ingredient), basil, bell pepper, EVOO and garlic in your food processor. Don't over process or it won't be nice and chunky. Sea salt to taste. MMMMM!!!!
Gazpacho! YUMMY!