I can’t eat cucumber. It's not that I don’t like it, but rather that it doesn’t like me. Eating raw cucumber inevitably gives me reflux. However, I remember one Christmas as a teenager when, despite my protestations, my mother forced me into trying this soup. I loved it and for some reason it had no ill-effects on me. I can only put it down to the fact that the cucumber is cooked. Either that or the glasses of bubbles we had with it nullified all effects.
I am a big fan of cold soups like gazpacho and vichyssoise, as long as they are made with good-quality ingredients. They are so refreshing. The nice thing about this soup is that it can be served in different ways depending on the occasion: cocktail party, dinner party or family Christmas dinner. Serve it in shot glasses, nice teacups or full sized soup bowls.
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 (450g) potatoes
- 70gms butter
- 300ml cream
- 2 telegraph cucumbers
- ¼ bird’s-eye chilli, seeded, finely chopped
- 300 ml milk
- Smoked Salmon chunks
- Good extra virgin olive oil
Finely chop the onions and slice the garlic. Peel and dice the potatoes. Heat the butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat, add the onions, garlic and potatoes and cook them for about 8 mins or until the onions are soft. Add the cream and gently bring to a simmer for 5 mins or until the potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, coarsely grate the cucumber including the skin and seeds. Add the grated cucumber to the soup and cook for 10 mins or until tender. Process the soup in a food processor or blend in a blender until smooth, then strain through a coarse sieve. Stir in the chilli and enough milk to thin to the desired consistency, then season with sea salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, break the smoked salmon into large chunks and place in the centre of shallow soup bowls. Ladle soup around fish. Drizzle with a nice olive oil. If serving in shot glasses, or old-fashioned teacups, put the soup in first and then top with a small piece of salmon, with a drop or two of olive oil on top.