Chilly Dilly Yogurt Soup

Many many years ago when me and DH first arrived on these shores we had a lovely coffee shop we use to frequent which was hugely popular in the neighborhood of Beit Hakerem. We often dined there with my in-laws and their friends and our friends as well. I still remember it fondly (although I’ve forgotten the name) since it was elevated dairy food and to this day, it stands out for a number of the dishes they served. Amongst others, they served a cold yogurt soup that was a major favorite of my hubby’s. Since the weather has gotten fairly hot the last week or so, I remembered this refreshing soup that he loved and determined to recreate it.

It’s almost embarrassingly easy to make, especially if you have a blender. If you don’t, it’s a bit tedious but you can grate the cucumbers to achieve a similar consistency.

So gather your ingredients

and as you can see, I’ve peeled the cukes. I normally don’t but I much prefer the soup’s texture with the peel removed. Also, the little “garlic” clove you see above is actually a piece of shallot which I prefer since it gives you that onion/garlic combo flavor. Since DH is not happy if the garlic is pronounced, I always keep it subtle and I particularly like the hint of flavor this gives since I wanted to achieve a light, flavorful soup that is bright and breezy and cooling. K.

So whip out your blender and let’s do it.

Now you put the chunked cucumber, salt, fresh dill (remove the hard ends of stalks), clove of garlic or shallot, lemon juice (best fresh squeezed) and olive oil in the blender jug. Leave the last cup of yogurt out since you will mix that in by hand to give a bit of a thicker texture. K.

Blend in spurts, just till cucumbers are chopped fine. Try not to overblend, you want a little texture. Now in the blender jug, empty the last cup of yogurt into the mix and stir by hand with a whisk or fork to give a little more body to the soup.

Place in fridge and chill till very very cold. Amazingly tasty and refreshing, wakes up your whole body! Garnish with fronds of the fresh dill if placing in a soup bowl. I often pour it into a glass and drink it like a smoothie. You’ll love it!

Chilly Dilly Yogurt Soup

4 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut into chunks

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 bunch fresh dill, tough ends removed, washed well and patted dry and cut up a bit- reserve some for garnish

1 -2 cloves garlic, OR 1 small piece (like a clove) of shallot, peeled

3 cups (800 ml) whole milk yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

In the jug of a blender, place the cucumbers, salt, dill (best to chop a bit so it doesn’t get caught in the blades), garlic or shallot, 2 cups of the yogurt (reserve one cup of the yogurt for the end), lemon juice and olive oil. Blend in bursts just till cucumbers are chopped fine but a bit of texture is left. While soup is still in the blender (but turned off) whisk the last cup of yogurt in by hand to add a bit of thickness to the soup. The texture is heavier than heavy cream with some cucumbery goodness going on. Amazingly refreshing.