Soup in the summertime

Things have been hot in the northern hemisphere as much of the US and the UK are in the throes of a heatwave. When it is sweltering outside, the thought of soup for dinner is not particularly attractive – that is, unless it’s a refreshing chilled version. I’ve been seeing many mouthwatering chilled soup recipes on my social media feeds in recent days, and they are a welcome reminder that you can enjoy soup in the summertime. 

The Guardian starts us off with six of their favorites, ranging from a creamy carrot soup to a bold beet gazpacho. Featuring common ingredients and dazzling colors, the soups featured here are perfect for energizing palates worn down by the heat. The website Plated also offers its favorite cold soups. Although I had not thought of  avgolemono (the Greek lemon-egg chicken soup) as a cold soup, it can be served either hot or chilled. If you aren’t a fan of gazpacho due to textural issues, you may want to consider  salmorejo, which Plated calls “gazpacho’s silkier, thicker, blended cousin.”  

Indexed magazine Saveur also has a list of delicious chilled soup recipes. The wide variety at Saveur includes avocado soup, okroshka (a kefir/buttermilk soup with herbs that sounds intriguing), and Claudia Roden’s ajo blanco, a chilled almond and garlic soup. Cooking Light magazine (also indexed on EYB) offers three fruit- and vegetable-focused recipes as well, featuring cucumbers, honeydew, and watermelon.

One of my favorite chilled soups is cantaloupe gazpacho (pictured above). I have used this Serious Eats recipe, and the one from Bon Appetit also sounds wonderful and has the bonus of being vegan. What’s your favorite chilled soup recipe?