A dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of kefir makes almost any steaming bowl of soup better. The recipes in this chapter take dairy ferments from the sidelines to the center of attention — and keep their probiotics lively and viable. Kefir usually adds a bit more acid than yogurt, and you can always adjust the sourness level by adding vinegar or lemon juice. If you use a drained yogurt, you might need to add liquid such as broth, whey, or water to thin it to a soupier texture. I hope it goes without saying that you should choose plain, unsweetened dairy ferments for these recipes.
Roasted Chioggia Beet Chlodnik
Makes 7–8 cups
Most recipes for chlodnik (cold Polish beet soup) use dark beets that have been either fermented or simmered, along with beet greens, to create a deep ruby-red mixture. For this recipe, I used mild and beautiful Italian heirloom Chioggia beets. Instead of boiling the beets, I roast and then cube them. The resulting soup has a milder, sweeter flavor than its traditional counterpart. Try it both ways!
Ingredients
3–4 Chioggia beets, roasted, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 hard-boiled egg, quartered or sliced (optional)
Sliced sausage, such as kielbasa (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)
Steps
1.Place the beets in a food processor and purée until smooth. Slowly add 1 quart of the kefir and continue to blend until smooth. Pour the purée into a large bowl, add the remaining 1 quart kefir, and stir to blend.
2.Stir in the cucumber and radishes. Add the lemon juice, using more or less as desired to create whatever level of tanginess you prefer.
3.Add the dill, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. Serve garnished with fresh dill, and egg, sausage, and hot sauce, if desired. This soup will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
Cool Corn Chowder
Makes 5–8 cups
Chowder doesn’t need to be confined to the winter months. On a hot summer day or during a late-fall heat wave, this cool chowder is both hearty and comforting. I made this recipe vegetarian, but you can easily include clams if you like. When I was developing this recipe, my tasters all agreed that when left in cubes, the potatoes seemed out of place. When puréed, however, they add creaminess and body.
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes, diced (I don’t peel them, just scrub well first)
1⁄4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup sliced fresh white button or crimini mushrooms
2 stalks celery, chopped
1⁄2 sweet onion, minced
1⁄4 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme leaves
1⁄2 cup milk, white wine, or broth or stock of choice, plus more as needed
1.Place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Set over medium-high heat and boil until tender but not falling apart, 5 to 8 minutes depending on potato type. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. Purée the potatoes in a food processor or mash by hand. Set aside to cool.
2.Place the shiitakes in a medium bowl and pour the reserved hot potato water over them. Place a small bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged. Soak until rehydrated, 10 to 30 minutes.
3.Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the button mushrooms, celery, onion, and thyme, and sauté until tender but not mushy, 5 to 8 minutes. Place the vegetables in a large bowl.
4.Return the skillet to the heat and pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Pour the wine and any bits you were able to scrape up from the pan over the sautéed vegetables.
5.Drain the shiitake mushroom liquid into the vegetable mixture. Chop the shiitakes and stir them into the vegetable mix.
6.Add the corn, lemon juice, tamari, and cooled potatoes, then stir in the yogurt. Add more milk to thin to your desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving. This chowder will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
Note: If you can make this soup at the peak of summer with fresh corn on the cob picked that same day, then leave it raw — it’s delicious! Otherwise, give the corn a quick cook by steaming in the microwave while still wrapped in husks or in hot water. Don’t overcook; usually a couple of minutes will do.
Persian Fusion Yogurt Soup
Makes 7–8 cups
Classic Persian ab doogh khiar (yogurt cucumber soup) utilizes some of the same classic flavors you find in other yogurt soups, including cucumbers and dill. Some recipes include other herbs, such as tarragon and savory. Raisins and walnuts add sweetness and crunch, and bits of dried flatbread are mixed in at the last moment. For this recipe, I added other spices and herbs as well as coconut milk. The result is delicious and slightly exotic, and it pairs well with Indian as well as Persian dishes.
1.Combine the cucumbers, shallots, and garlic in a food processor and purée. Slowly add the oil and purée until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl.
2.Add the yogurt, coconut milk, and lemon juice, and stir until well combined.
3.Add the raisins, cilantro, ginger, mint, tamarind paste, and coriander, and stir until evenly blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. When you serve the soup, top individual bowls with chopped walnuts and garnish with rose petals. The soup will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
Gazpacho Blanco
Makes 5–7 cups
I first tasted this amazing Spanish classic more than 20 years ago at the incredible tapas restaurant Jaleo in Washington, D.C. We were on our way to see a Shakespeare play at the historic Folger Theatre, and I can’t remember what play we saw but I never forgot the soup! I found a copy of the recipe, and I’ve been making it ever since.
Bread is a main ingredient in most traditional gazpachos, but I find that yogurt easily adds a similar body and mouthfeel. Of all of the gazpachos I have tried, this one is the most unique, surprising, and satisfying. It’s hearty enough to be a main course for a dinner party and refreshing and enticing enough to serve in a tiny cup as an amuse-bouche before almost any meal. I’ve even served it at Thanksgiving to great accolades.
1.Combine the almonds, garlic, and salt in a food processor or blender and process until fine, about 1 minute.
2.Add the melon, oil, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and yogurt, and process until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3.Fill a 1-cup measuring cup with ice cubes. Add water to fill the cup. Add the ice and water to the gazpacho and purée until the ice is dissolved or crushed fine, about 1 minute. Serve cold. Just before serving, add 6 to 8 grapes per serving. If the grapes are large, cut them in half. The gazpacho will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
Gazpacho Rosado
Makes 6–8 cups
I adapted this recipe from the classic tomato gazpacho. Thanks to the inclusion of yogurt, the brilliant red of the original is tinted a pretty pink, or rosado. Gazpacho rosado is not only teeming with probiotics, but it is also a great source of the carotenoid lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. The olive oil in the soup helps your body absorb the fat-soluble lycopene, and it also rounds out the mouthfeel and balances the acidity. Gazpacho rosado makes a great main course on a hot summer day, a drinkable salad, or a palate cleanser between heavier courses. Do try to locate a bottle of sherry vinegar; it’s worth the effort to add an authentic Spanish nuance. The recipe is best made at the peak of summer when all of the veggies are fresh, but canned stewed tomatoes can be substituted if you’re craving the dish off-season.
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh tomatoes
1 small sweet yellow onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, one half chopped and the other half finely chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, one half sliced and the other half finely chopped
1 hot pepper, such as jalapeño, seeded, one half roughly chopped and the other half finely chopped (optional)
2 yellow bell peppers, one half roughly chopped and the other half finely chopped
1 garlic clove
4 fresh basil leaves, two left whole and two thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or red wine or balsamic vinegar in a pinch)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steps
1.Core the tomatoes. If they are small or heavy-skinned, blanch them briefly in boiling water and then remove their skins. Purée in a food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth.
2.Add the chopped onion to the tomato mixture. Place the finely chopped onion in a separate medium bowl.
3.Add the sliced cucumber to the tomato mixture. Add the finely chopped cucumber to the onion bowl.
4.Add the roughly chopped hot pepper and bell pepper to the tomato mixture. Add the finely chopped hot pepper and bell pepper to the onion mixture.
5.Add the garlic to the tomato mixture.
6.Add the whole basil leaves to the tomato mixture. Set aside the thinly sliced basil leaves.
7.Purée the tomato mixture until smooth. Add the yogurt, oil, and vinegar to the tomato mixture and purée until well blended. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
8.Stir in most of the chopped veggies; they will add a lovely texture. Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the soup with the remaining chopped veggies and the sliced basil leaves. You can also drizzle the soup with a bit more oil and place a dollop of yogurt at the center of the bowl (before sprinkling on the chopped veggies) for effect. This gazpacho will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
Okroshka with Watermelon Radish, New Potatoes, and Beer
Makes 7–8 cups
A Russian and Ukrainian classic, okroshka traditionally relies upon dark, tangy fermented kvass as its base. This recipe instead utilizes the acidic qualities of yogurt and German-style lager beer. For a nonalcoholic version, you can substitute sparkling water for the beer. There is great similarity, as you can see from the ingredients, between okroshka and chlodnik.
1 cup finely chopped mint, plus a few mint leaves for garnish
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
1–2 tablespoons freshly grated or prepared horseradish
2 English cucumbers, peeled and seeded, one finely chopped and the other thinly sliced
1 bunch watermelon radishes (or combination of regular and watermelon varieties), half finely chopped and half sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups diced, cooked new potatoes
1–2 (12-ounce) bottles lager or other ale, or 11⁄2–3 cups sparkling water
Shredded or chopped ham, for a more traditional, heartier meal (optional)
Steps
1.Pour the yogurt into a large bowl and add the mint, parsley, vinegar, and horseradish. Whisk to combine.
2.Stir in the cucumbers and radishes, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the potatoes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
3.Just before serving, stir in the beer. Garnish with whole mint leaves and ham, if desired. The soup will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
