Name: Cold cucumber soup with yogurt and dill
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 800 g salad cucumbers; 500 ml plain yogurt; 250 ml kefir; 1 clove garlic; 15 g dill; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 100 ml water; salt; 1 pc lemon; walnuts; dill; olive oil

Step by step process

Prepping the cucumber

1
For the cucumber soup, first grate the cucumber finely with the skin on, if it is thin and not bitter. Peel a thicker or waxed skin instead, otherwise the flavor will turn bitter.
2
Lightly salt the grated vegetable, stir, and let it rest for about 5 minutes in a colander over a bowl. It will soon release juice, which you should pour off so the result is not too watery and thin.

Mixing the base

3
Put the white yogurt in a roomy bowl and whisk it smooth. Gradually stir in the kefir until you have a creamy, lightly pourable, even base with no lumps.
TIP:
Add the water in small amounts and blend with short pulses until the mixture comes together into a smooth, lightly foamed emulsion. If lumps appear, stop briefly and stir.
4
Press the clove of garlic straight into the yogurt base. Add the chopped dill, olive oil and the juice from half a lemon. Stir everything well so the aroma of garlic and dill spreads evenly.

Seasoning and chilling

5
Stir in the drained vegetable and, depending on the thickness, top up with cold boiled water until the mixture flows like thin yogurt. Salt it and sharpen with lemon until the taste is fresh and pleasantly tangy.
6
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors connect and everything chills thoroughly.
7
Ladle the chilled cream into bowls, garnish with chopped walnuts, a sprig of dill and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve right away while it is nicely cold.
TIP:
Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to smell fragrant and turn golden. Remove from heat and let them cool. The crunch will stay intact after cooling, for salads.

More tips:

For a smoother version, blend the cucumber and yogurt with an immersion blender. Set a few cucumber pieces aside and stir them in at the very end so the soup has something to chew on.

Instead of walnuts, try toasted almond flakes or roasted sunflower seeds. They add a Balkan crunch to the soup.

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