Title: Chilled Cucumber & Yogurt Soup
Description: Chilled soups are something we came to enjoy when we started cruising; one of the best parts about a cruise is trying all the wonderful food. Fruit soups are lovely, but some savoury such as Gazpacho, Vichyssoise, and Watercress are also very good. My favourite chilled soup, which was also a very popular item in the summer in the tea room, is chilled cucumber soup. I would often serve this as part of a cream tea presentation if the party wanted it at lunch time. It always went well, and it surprises me that I love it so much as I am not a great fan of cucumbers! Try to find the long English or sometimes called European type of cucumbers. There are less seeds, and I think imparts a better flavour. Using fresh dill also makes a lot of difference rather than dried. I tend to favour using regular plain yogurt with this recipe also, although I often substitute low fat dairy products in recipes, using them for this tend to make it a bit watery and it is a thin soup to begin with. It is best if given the chance to sit in refrigerator at least overnight as it allows the flavours to infuse. This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found in England several years ago from one of my friend’s soup books, and very easy to make. I hope you enjoy my version.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 large cucumber. 1 small onion, chopped. 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. 2 ½ cups chicken stock. Grated peel and juice of half a lemon. 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill. 1/3 cup plain yogurt. Salt and pepper.

Instructions:

1. Wash and remove half the peel of the cucumber (the remainder gives flavour and colour).

2. Chop cucumber into small pieces.

3. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in the oil until softened.

4. Add chopped cucumber, chicken stock, lemon peel and juice, and chopped dill.

5. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool.

6. Then blend in a food processor or blender until well puréed.

7. Stir in yogurt and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 5-6 hours.

8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Garnish with sprigs of dill.