Cold Soup

Requiring no cooking and no blending, this soup takes full advantage of the lush fruits of midsummer.

A perfect dessert soup to make in July, when melons are at their sweetest. This makes a refreshing finish to a grilled meal.

It takes minutes to make this sweet soup. Try serving it after a meal rather than before—it’s a wonderful palate cooler after a spicy meal. Or it can be the main event at lunch on a hot summer day, served with blueberry muffins.

This super-quick no-cook soup is delicious enough to serve as a dessert.

Enjoy the convergence of strawberries and midsummer berries in a sweetly spiced broth.

A collection of vegetarian soups wouldn’t be complete without this Spanish classic. It’s especially delicious topped with Garlic Croutons (page 159).

This and the following berry soup are the only fruit soups in this chapter that need a bit of cooking. The wine and spices give it a wonderfully complex flavor.

A quick and easy no-cook soup, this is remarkably refreshing on a hot summer day. It’s best eaten on the same day as it is made, since avocado discolors and does not keep well under refrigeration once peeled. This soup makes a great opener for a Southwestern-style meal of burritos, enchiladas, or the like.

A splendid no-cook soup that will awaken taste buds dulled by summer heat. This soup can be eaten as soon as it is made, but definitely benefits from having time to stand for several hours so that the lively flavors can mingle. This soup is a great first course for a Mexican or Southwestern-style meal.

The peppery flavor of watercress provides a delightful contrast to the sweetness of summer corn.

With the help of a food processor, this tasty, no-cook soup will be ready to eat in minutes. Serve with stone-ground tortilla chips or warmed flour tortillas.

Zucchini and corn are an appealing pair. Serve with Garlic Croutons (page 159) to add a pleasant crunch.

This cold soup is as appealing to look at as it is to eat. Serve with fresh bread and follow with a pasta salad for a light summer meal. Use really lush, ripe (even overripe is fine) tomatoes for best results.

This refreshing cold soup is one that I often serve to summer company.

This cheerfully colored soup can be the centerpiece of a summer meal, served with crusty bread or sandwiches and a bountiful salad.

Think of this no-cook soup as a Thai-flavored gazpacho. It’s best with really lush summer tomatoes. Serve with a cold noodle dish for a quick summer meal.

Here’s an exceptionally easy, no-cook soup. This evolved from the classic recipe for Middle Eastern cucumber soup, which is made with a base of yogurt. However, I don’t think it tastes right with soy yogurt, so I tinkered with it until it approximated the original flavor, without the yogurt. I enjoy it with barley added, as suggested in the variation below.

Cheddar-Oat Griddle Biscuits (page 153) provide a nice contrast to the mild flavor of this pleasant summer soup. Or try it with Garlic Croutons (page 159), if you’d prefer a little crunch.

Here’s a cold soup that is substantial as well as refreshing. Serve with a fresh flatbread and tabbouleh salad.

A soup that looks and tastes garden-fresh, this is a good one to serve all summer long.