I learned so many good things from my mother-in-law Norma.
Early on in my relationship with Jeremy, I went over to
their place for dinner. It was a hot summer day in NYC. The air conditioners
were running at full throttle in the apartment.
Norma greeted me warmly. After some pleasantries, she
announced that we would be having cold soup for dinner.
I had never heard of cold soup before.
I felt the little jolt that comes from what feels like an
experiential non sequitur. It seemed like the very definition of soup was that
it was either warm or hot.
Then again, there were plenty of new foods that I tried for
the first time with Jeremy's family. Thanks to them, I now loved Chinese
cuisine, vegetarian dishes, Kir Royale, and quiche. I'd also discovered
traditional Jewish foods like chicken soup with matzo balls and Charoset at
Passover.
My response to trying all of this was, where has this food been all my life? I had no reason to think that
chilled soup would be any less good than a pie you eat for dinner or cold
spaghetti with sesame sauce all over it.
My first bite of cold gazpacho did not disappoint. I had the
same feeling about it then that I do now. A good gazpacho is the very essence
of summer.
It took one encounter to make me a cold soup convert. My
next cold soup was Norma's vichyssoise, as velvety, rich, and luxurious as gazpacho
is bracing and tangy.
Later, I became a cold soup aficionado, making them at home
every summer. There is something about food that you only make during certain
times of the year that gives me another reason to love living in a place with
four distinct seasons.
Mark Bittman's Traditional Gazpacho
Over the years, I've tried many gazpacho recipes and this
one became my favorite. I make this a couple of times every summer. It gets
bonus points for being, easy, refreshing and Weight Watchers friendly. Here's the recipe.
Silky Zucchini Soup
By Grant Achatz, July 2014 Food & Wine Magazine.
This is truly delicious, and since it can be served chilled
or warm, multi-seasonal. Zucchini is especially plentiful and fresh at the
Farmer's Market in the summer months and lends this soup a gorgeous color. Get the recipe here.
Tomato Soup with Feta, Olives and Cucumbers
By David Chang , September 2014 Food & Wine Magazine
This wonderful, multi textured soup combines elements of a
Greek salad with a chilled tomato base. It's become a new summer tradition.
Check out the amazing recipe.
Cold Avocado Soup
Avocados are one of my favorite foods so when the concept of
starring them in a cold soup came up, I was all over it. The first recipe I
tried was rather dull. I hit the jackpot with this one. It manages to be both
light and rich tasting at the same time. I probably don't need to remind you
how healthy avocados are.
I forgot to buy coconut milk once and substituted Ronnybrook
Coconut yogurt. Lovely. This blog is one of
my favorites. Here is the recipe.
Jeremy's Vichyssoise.
Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook
This is one of Jeremy's specialties. He makes this one every
time. Why mess with success? The recipe is
here. Jeremy uses leeks instead of onions.
I've tried making many variations on the cold potato leek
type soup. I've attempted to find something more friendly to the waistline,
then came to the conclusion that this recipe is worth the extra Points Plus.
It's what I like to call a worthy splurge.
One summer Norma was going through a challenging time. Jeremy would
go to her apartment and make this soup for her. It's a sweet memory.
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