SUMMER SUPPER # 1

Carol prepared a delightful and cool supper for a warm summer evening. Pictured at left: sesame crackers, wild caught canned Alaska Salmon*, a cold cucumber soup, and a plate of fresh and crisp vegetables (tomato, green onions, celery, yellow pepper, lime to squeeze on the salmon and avocado, carrot sticks, and the avocado).

Carol knew she wanted to make a cold cucumber soup and searched and searched for one to suit her. Many she found had ingredients like "a can of cream of celery soup," or wanted a can of chicken broth or some other ingredient that failed to entice.
She came upon a recipe for a cold cucumber soup that used yogurt. Not having any on hand, she substituted buttermilk and came up with a wonderfully tangy chilled soup.

COLD CUCUMBER-BUTTERMILK SOUP

• 2 Cucumbers (about a pound) peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 2 Finely minced cloves of garlic
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill or a teaspoon of dry dill weed
• 4 Cups of buttermilk
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped mint (we didn't have any on hand but did add a little chopped fresh basil

1. Place diced cukes in a colander,  sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Let stand for about 30 minutes and then drain off the water
2. Combine the cucumbers, buttermilk, garlic, oil, dill and buttermilk
3. Chill for an hour. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add the mint if it's handy. If it is too thick toit you, dilute with ice cold water and serve

Carol served the soup in a medium sized bowls placed in cracked ice filled larger soup bowls (as pictured).

A simple, tasty, and satisfying supper enjoyed in our enclosed patio.

* We avoid farmed fish whenever we can. Having lived in Downeast Coastal Maine when the farmed Atlantic Salmon industry started and watching how they go about feeding, medicating, and caring for penned salmon, we believe it to be a seriously inferior product compared with wild caught fish.