Surprise! Cucumbers are a creeping vine plant and actually a fruit. They are most known for slicing and pickling. There are many different kinds of cucumbers, including burpless/seedless. Cucumbers are 95 percent water and high in vitamin K and potassium. They promote hydration, are low in calories and help reduce blood sugar levels.
When my daughter did some grocery shopping for me one day, she came home with six cucumbers. I thought, what can I do with them before they spoil?
My recipe drawer had six recipes for cold cucumber soup, and one had a blue tab which meant I had made it before and liked it. Here are some to try.
My Favorite Cold Cucumber Soup
6 servings
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- ¼ cup finely chopped green onions
- 6 unpeeled chopped cucumbers
- 1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon dry dill
- 3 teaspoons pareve chicken soup powder
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup pareve milk or milk
1. Melt margarine in a soup pot. Add green onions and sauté a few minutes.
2. Add cucumbers, parsley flakes, dill, chicken soup powder and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.
3. Puree in a blender. Add salt, pepper and milk. Pour into a jar or bowl, add milk and chill.
Julia Child’s Cucumber Soup
6 servings
This recipe was cut from a 1984 Parade Magazine.
- 4-5 large peeled, halved cucumbers with seeds scraped out and reserve juice
- pinch salt
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped scallions with tender green tops
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- dribbles of wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon fresh or dry dill
- several grinds white pepper
- handful of watercress, arugula or cilantro
- ¼ cup sour cream
1. Sprinkle peeled, halved, seeded cucumbers with pinch salt and let drain.
2. Process scallions in a food processor. Add cucumbers, sugar, vinegar, dill, white pepper, watercress or arugula or cilantro and cucumber juices. Whisk in sour cream. Taste and correct seasoning.
3. Refrigerate an hour to blend flavors.
Cool as a Cucumber Soup
4-6 servings
This came from an old food magazine.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 coarsely chopped onion
- 3 unpeeled chopped cucumbers
- 3 tablespoons chopped dill
- 6 cups vegetable or pareve chicken soup
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup peeled, finely diced cucumbers
- 2-4 ounces caviar (optional)
1. Place oil and onion in a soup pot and cook for 7 minutes.
2. Add 3 unpeeled chopped cucumbers and cook 5 minutes.
3. Add 2 tablespoons dill, vegetable or pareve chicken soup and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes and cool.
4. Puree soup and stir in cream, 1 tablespoon of dill and diced cucumbers. Chill. Serve with dollop of caviar. Garnish with remaining chopped dill.
Sybil Kaplan is a Jerusalem-based journalist, author and compiler/editor of nine kosher cookbooks. She is a food writer for North American Jewish publications, and she leads walks of the Jewish food market, Machaneh Yehudah, in English.
