Cold Cucumber Avocado Soup
I had an avocado, a cucumber, some chicken stock. I had just received a hand-me-down blender. It was a scorchingly hot day; I had a little time to make lunch, but not much, as I was anxious to leave my house for an air-conditioned coffee shop. And, I had just perused the latest issue of Canal House Cooking, featuring a recipe for Avocado & Cucumber Soup. The stars were aligned.
The soup was perfect. Ferociously simple (no peeling or seeding of the cucumbers required); exceptionally green; refreshingly cool.
A word on Canal House Cooking: Oh, how pleased I am to have discovered The Canal House. Produced by two women — Melissa and Christopher — with serious cooking credentials, Canal House is its own wonderful little entity: not quite a food magazine, not quite a cookbook, but a hybrid subscription-based tri-yearly cookbook thing.
Like most of the Canal House recipes, the combination here is so obvious, and yet so innovative; reading through these gorgeous books is why didn’t I think of that moment after why didn’t I think of that moment. The photography and design are absolutely inspirational; the tone warm and inviting. And how fun is it to receive a little beautiful parcel of a cookbook in the mail three times a year? The best mail packages are the ones you’ve forgotten are ever going to arrive.
I cut this recipe down to serve just little ol’ me, as I only had one avocado and one cucumber, and also as this soup promised to go brown if not consumed quickly. The original recipe calls for three avocados to one cucumber, to serve 4, with more avocado-y results. I was tres happy with how this came out, however, still creamy and avocado-y, but with the refreshing crispness of the cucumber shining through and lifting the whole dish up. So good, in fact, that I had the remains for breakfast the next day, with coffee and toast.
Cold Cucumber Avocado Soup
Serves 1, plus a tiny bit more
Adapted from Canal House Cooking, Vol. 4
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 cucumber, sliced (unpeeled/unseeded)
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 cups chicken stock (can use vegetable stock to make vegan)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional: Plain yogurt or sour cream, golden cherry tomatoes, hot sauce: for garnish
1. Puree all ingredients (except garnish options) in blender until smooth.
2. Add any optional garnishes.
Voila!
Note: It’s good to eat this soup immediately, as it will begin to discolor (turn from green to brown, as avocados will) right away.
