Seeing Mike Irwin’s guest chef blog, “Gazpacho without Sex”  reminded me of our own favorite recipe for this refreshing hot-weather cold soup.

When we lived in Georgia we met a couple who became good friends. He was from Turkey. One evening they had us and some other friends over for a Turkish dinner. One dish was a cold cucumber and yogurt soup. Yogurt and cucumbers? Oh dear. But we were polite and ate some.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           It was good! Who would have thought it? The rest of the meal was excellent too, but it was the soup which stayed in our memory.

Not long after that a national magazine came out with the following recipe. Having already had the similar soup, which we liked, I made this. It has been a summer standard ever since. Served in chilled clear glass bowls,  it’s very refreshing on a warm summer evening.

Gazpacho Blanco

3 small cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 c. chicken broth, lower sodium
3 c. low fat or regular plain yogurt
3 tablespoons white or cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste.

Toppings: diced tomato, sliced green onions, parsley, chives.

Process cucumber, garlic and 1 c. chicken broth in blender til smooth. Blender works better than
food processor for this.
Pour into bowl, stir in remaining 1 cup broth, yogurt, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Cover and chill at least two hours. Serve in chilled bowls and sprinkle with desired toppings.

3 Comments