Cold soup anyone?
They say that there is nothing like hot cup of soup on a cold day but I say there is nothing like cold soup on hot day.For hundred of years, the Spaniards and the Turks have been keeping people happy with cold soups that are a wonderful fit for their hot climates in the summer.In Spain, gazpacho is one of the great favorites, a soup that is now popular all over the world. Gazpacho is finely chopped tomatoes with other vegetables. The competition is Spain is not the basic soup recipe itself, but what kind of topping can be added to make it better.Even before the Spaniards came out with gazpacho, the Turks invented cold yogurt soup. The basic recipe is plain whipped yogurt with a touch of salt. Some chefs add garlic, mint or diced cucumber. This soup not only cool down the body, it also helps the digestive system. My mom use it anytime we travel anywhere. She makes us drink one cup before lunch at any trip to prevent any food related sickness and I swear it works.Now chefs everywhere are getting creative with their recipes for cold soup. We have watermelon soup, cold apricot soup, cold zucchini soup and cold sweet rice soup to name few.The yogurt and the apricot soups are a favorite in my home.Yogurt and Cucumber Soupserves 43 cups plain yogurt
2 small seedless cucumbers, peeled and finely chopped1 clove garlic, mashed4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mintsalt taste1/2 cup cold water-In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and serve or chill overnight.Apricot and Coconut Milk Soupserves 43 cups apricot nectar2 cups coconut milk1 cup chopped dried apricots2 tablespoons pine nuts1 tablespoon shredded coconuts-Soak the apricot in hot water for one hour. Squeeze excess moisture and place in soup bowl.-Add the apricot, the milk and the pine nuts and mix well.-Chill overnight. Spoon the soup into chilled soup bowls, sprinkle with coconuts and serve.