When I first heard about chilled soups, probably 30 years ago, I wasn’t convinced. My picture of what soup should be was hearty and warming, served with a piece of toasted, crusty bread.
Once I ventured into making gazpacho, I realized that chilled soup can be a refreshing change in the summer. It’s also a great way to use up a surplus of homegrown tomatoes. Since then I’ve tried all sorts of chilled soups including different gazpacho recipes, an amazing plum soup and vichyssoise (potato-leek soup), which I also enjoy hot in the winter.
I’m not a big dairy eater, but I do like goat cheese and goat yogurt occasionally. They don’t seem to affect me the same way that cow products do. So when I read this recipe in my enduring favorite cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, it seemed like the perfect complement to last week’s 90-plus-degree days.
This recipe makes enough soup for about six servings.
Yogurt Soup with Herbs, Spinach and Rice
- One bunch green onions, including half the greens, chopped
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup fresh dill, or 3 T dried dill
- 1 t salt
- 1 large bunch spinach, stems removed
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 1-1/2 cups yogurt (I used Redwood Hills Farms goat yogurt)
- 1 cup cooked brown or white rice
- small, diced cucumber for garnish