Recipe Corner: Cold Cucumber Beet Soup with Mint

1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt (to taste)

Black pepper, Aleppo pepper, celery salt (to taste)

Chopped mint, dill, or chives as garnish

Thin sliced cucumber or eggs as garnish

Preparation:

With a food processor or electric blender, swirl the cucumbers, beets, onions, and garlic for 60 seconds, do not puree. Add broth, yogurt or sour cream, and walnuts, and swirl 20-30 seconds longer until smooth. Add more broth at this point if soup is too thick.

Transfer to a glass bowl, stir in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and celery salt, cover, and chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Garnish chilled soup with thin sliced cucumber, eggs, or sour cream; top with mint, dill, or chives, and serve. May be made 2 or 3 days in advance of serving; store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Serves 4.

*Christine’s recipes have been published in the Fresno Bee newspaper, Sunset magazine, Cooking Light magazine, and at http://www.thearmeniankitchen.com/