Chilled Cucumber Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds cucumber peeled cut into chunks
• 4 teaspoons optional: dill fresh minced
• 4 teaspoons parsley fresh minced
• 2 cloves garlic smashed
• 6 servings kosher salt 
• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 0.3 cup onion white chopped
• 4 slices sandwich bread white cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1  bell pepper yellow cut into chunks
• 4  tomatoes yellow cut into chunks

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sieve
• blender

Directions

1. Combine the cucumber and tomatoes in a blender, reserving 1/4 cup of each for garnish.
2. Add the bell pepper, onion, vinegar, 1 teaspoon each dill and parsley, 1 clove garlic and the sugar; puree until smooth. Pass through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
3. Heat the remaining clove garlic with the olive oil in a skillet over low heat.
4. Add the bread cubes and the remaining 3 teaspoons each dill and parsley. Cook, stirring, until golden and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the garlic.
5. Pour the soup into chilled bowls. Dice the reserved cucumber and tomatoes; sprinkle into the soup.
6. Garnish with the croutons.
7. Photograph by Con Poulos