Accidental Hedonist

One of the better soups I’ve had in my life is one from a nice Persian couple that worked for back in the late 80′s. They owned a little kebab place in the Ohio Convention Center, but they often made food that was not on the menu board and gave their employees tastes of their homelands.

One day, they offered me a soup that was pastey white. When I asked what it was, they said to taste first, and then they’d tell me. As the spoon entered my mouth, it was clear that it was made from yogurt, as well as lemon, mint and pepper. It carried the herbs and spices so well that I was surprised that this dish wasn’t better loved. When I asked why they didn’t tell me what kind of soup, they smiled at me and said “Americans do not know that yogurt makes a good soup”.

Yogurt soup is not an uncommon dish. It’s simply an uncommon dish here in the United States. Done well, the yogurt becomes the vehicle in which other tastes are delivered.

• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 cups unflavored yogurt
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 1 cup ice water
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• Salt and (white) pepper, to taste
• 6 ice cubes
• fresh dill, chopped

In a small bowl, place the raisins and cover with cold water. Allow to set for 5 minutes.

Place the yogurt in a large mixing bowl. Add the half & half and ice water and stir in slowly but thoroughly.

Drain the raisins. Add them to the yogurt along with the walnuts, cucumbers and scallions. Flavor with the salt and pepper.

Stir in the ice cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Serve in the bowl and sprinkle the freshly chopped dill on top.

Serves 4

Technorati Tags: recipes, yogurt, soup

For the last Cucumber recipe, I’m making a sauce. This should be no surprise, as cucumbers lend themselves quite well to sauces.

What is a surprise is the fact that the cucumbers are cooked and provide a bit of zucchini-like texture to the dish. The sauce ends up being quite good. I’m my life span, I do believe this is the first time that I’ve ever cooked cucumbers.

If you can cook a really moist chicken breast, then you’re going to do well on this dish. There’s no secrets to making this dish aside from following the instructions below.

• 2 1/2 large cucumbers, peeled, halved and sliced
• 7 tablespoons butter, soft
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dill, chopped

Place cucumbers in colander ar a strainer. Sprinkle with salt, toss, and let drain 1 hr.

After one hour, place cucumbers on paper towels and pat dry.

In heavy largeg skilet over medium heat melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add cucumbers and saute until light brown, about 7 min. Set aside.

In small cup, mix 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of soft butter to smooth paste. Set aside.

Place 1/2 cup of flour in shallow baking dish with pepper and season with salt. Coat chicken with flour and shake off any excess. Set aside.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter with olive oil in another heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and saute until brown, turning over after cooking about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 4 minutes). Transfer chicken to platter.

Add remaining 1/2 cup stock to skillet. Add flour and butter paste and stir win well. Increase heat to high and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 3 minutes). Add cream & bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened to sauce consistency (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice and 1 tablespoon dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chicken and cucumbers to sauce, heat through. Transfer to plates. Spoon sauce & cucumbers over chicken. Sprinkle with dill.

Serves 6

Another cucumber recipe, another salad recipe. I’m not complaining, because this is a very good salad to make. One wouldn’t typically think that dijon mustard would work with cucumbers, but it does in here.

This is a great side dish with a strong fish entree. In the picture you see smoked salmon, and it complimented the meal very well. Part of me wanted to look for some Mackeral, but hey, I’m in the Pac northwest for cryin out loud.

This recipe comes from Fergus Henderson’s The Whole Beast.

• 3 cucumbers
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cups olive oil
• Ground pepper, to taste
• 1 Tablespoon dill, chopped

Peel the cucumbers, and cut in half. De-seed and slice. Place cucumber in bowl and salt. Allow to sit in bowl for a half hour.

Meanwhile, mix the sugar into the vinegar, ensuring it dissolves. Mix in the mustard. After the mustard is fully integrated, slowly pour in the oil, whisking all the while, ensuring the dressing is emulsified. Pepper to taste.

Drain cucumbers before placing them in the dressing. Fold in well. Plate and serve.

UPDATED: to reflect an incorrect measurement. I had way too much olive oil listed in the ingredients.

Serves 4-6