Chilled Yogurt, Herb, and Jalapeño Soup

This chilled summer soup is a veritable garden in a bowl, with fresh mint, cilantro, peppers, and spring onions gathered from the potager just seconds before the soup appears at the table. A cup of this soup is an ideal accompaniment to any summer salad.

Ingredients

2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt, well chilled
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 plump, moist garlic cloves, peeled, halved, and green germ removed
1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño pepper (or canned chopped jalapeño peppers)
2 small spring onions or scallions, white part only, trimmed, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
Fine sea salt

Instructions
1. In a food processor or a blender, combine the yogurt, half the mint, half the cilantro, the garlic, jalapeño, spring onions, and citrus juice. Puree to a smooth liquid. Season with salt to taste.

2. Finely chop the remaining mint and cilantro leaves. Serve the soup in soup bowls, garnished with the chopped herbs. (Store without the garnish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reblend at serving time.)

Reprinted with permission from Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season by Patricia Wells (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2011). Copyright © 2011 by Patricia Wells Ltd. Photographs © 2011 by Jeff Kauck.

Categories:

Soups/Stews