Friday, 2 September 2011

So Fresh!

Zuppa di Cetriolo & Menta con Spiedini di Pancetta & Pomodorini
Cucumber and Mint Soup with Bacon and Cherry Tomato Skewers


Amazingly the Summer seems to be making a return visit to Frankfurt. Well, that is not quite accurate, as the Summer didn't even show up this year- but there you go! If the forecasts are to be trusted, we should be having a late blast of Summer this weekend... so I thought I might show you all a little something you can try out if it does finally warm up again here!


This is not quite a "no-cook" recipe- but the little bit of "cooking" involved will take you 5 minutes and the rest, even less than that- which is reason enough in itself to try this out, right? This epic adventure of total simplicity begins with us frying some garlic and onion in a little butter until golden and brown and a little "nutty". I am a little nutty myself on occasion, but that is beside the point.

So, now we have done the hard work, we can start having some fun!


Pop the onion, garlic and butter mix into your blender and add the cucumber, seeded but not peeled. Grate a little and set it to one side, but use all of the rest. Add a handful of mint, parsley and basil, a shot of Worcestershire sauce and a squeeze of lime juice and blend down into a nice paste. Add a good mug full of plain yogurt and blend together well, seasoning with salt, pepper, a hint of cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. That's your soup done! You will probably not enjoy making this, because your fun will be over, before you have even had a chance to start enjoying yourself!


So, onwards to the skewers and to dishing up! The skewers are simply cherry tomatoes that are threaded between a rasher of bacon onto a skewer. Put them into a hot Teflon pan, whilst you prepare the soup. Pour your soup into a dish and then decorate with a couple of slices of cucumber and also the grated part from earlier. Add the skewer for a blast of color and flavor... the smoky bacon and the savory tomatoes go really well with the sweet and mild cucumber... which is just what we all need on a hot Summers day!

Let's make the most of it!

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