It’s too damn hot! The weather around here has been ridiculously hot and humid, although I hear it’s been about 110° F in some parts of the south and east bay.
When it’s hot, many cultures tend to consume hot foods, which are somehow cooling to the body. But who wants to stand over a hot stove when you’ve got two fans running and no A/C? Just the thought of it makes me sweat. So when I bought my groceries for the week, I tried to find ingredients I could combine to make cool dinners requiring little or no cooking. Melons are good, as is just about any seasonal vegetable. Yogurt and cheese round out the meal. Barbecuing aside, heavy proteins such as chicken, beef, and pork are out (although a beef carpaccio can be refreshing).
A cool melon soup is an obvious choice. The cucumber tempers the sweetness of the melon, to which a bit of salty cheese is a fine counterpoint. Yogurt or kefir adds body and depth, while almonds add crunchy texture. Freshly ground pepper and basil olive oil provide spicy, grassy, anisey notes that pull it all together. Serve the soup with some bread and cheese, and perhaps a garden salad. Just be sure to buy green-fleshed melon so that your dinner doesn’t end up resembling primordial soup.
Seriously, it tastes better than it looks!
melon cucumber soup with yogurt and basil olive oil
1 medium melon, halved and seeded (I used cantalope, but honeydew is fine too)
1 small cucumber or about a 6 inch chunk of English hothouse cucumber
1 handful basil leaves
olive oil
kefir or yogurt
aged myzithra cheese or ricotta salata
salt and pepper to taste
raw or toasted almonds
- Scoop out the melon flesh, cut the cucumber into large chunks and place in a blender.
- Pulverize the melon and cucumber until liquid. Pour into bowls.
- Using a blender, food processor, or stick blender, pulverize the basil with the olive oil.
- Pour some kefir into each bowl of soup, about a quarter cup, or more if you like. If using yogurt, whip the yogurt until smooth and then add it to the soup.
- Crumble some myzithra cheese into each bowl, and season with freshly ground pepper. Drizzle the basil oil on top.
- Taste and correct seasoning. You probably won’t need much salt since the myzithra cheese is plenty salty. Garnish with raw or toasted almonds.
Serves 3
