This is informed by my yogurt or buttermilk soup with wheat berries from a few weeks ago, but this time I stirred chopped steamed spinach into the refreshing mixture. It’s a great soup to keep on hand as summer arrives. For a particularly irresistible version, add some diced avocado.
Ingredients
- ¾ pound (1 generous bunch) spinach, stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water, or 6 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
- 1 ½ cups finely diced cucumber (2 Persian cucumbers)
- Salt to taste
- 5 cups plain low-fat yogurt (free of gums and stabilizers) or buttermilk, or a mixture of the two
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), finely minced or puréed with a little salt in a mortar and pestle
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste)
- 1 cup cooked barley, spelt, kamut or farro
- ⅔ cup diced radishes
- Freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)
- ½ teaspoon sumac (more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Optional
- 1 ripe Hass avocado, cut in small dice
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
223 calories; 7 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 12 milligrams cholesterol; 342 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
6 to 8 servings
Preparation
- Place the cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Toss and place in a strainer set over the bowl. Allow to drain for 15 minutes. Rinse if desired and drain on paper towels.
- Meanwhile, steam the spinach above 1 inch of boiling water until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes, moving the leaves around with tongs once to ensure that they steam evenly. Rinse with cold water and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop medium-fine.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Thin out with ice water if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for one hour or longer.
- Advance preparation: You can make this several hours before serving, but wait a while before you stir in the spinach so that its color doesn’t fade too much. If you’re making the soup to eat during the week (it makes a terrific lunch) keep the
Dining and Cooking