This is how I like to define a soup: smooth, comforting and hot steam coming off the top. Take a spoonful, blow a couple of times, slurp a little and slurp it all.. aaaahhhh! and repeat.
Then, I learned about cold soup. No kidding.. I really didn't know.
In India, no matter how high the temperature shoots in summer and how humid it gets, we still like to eat hot sandwiches and hot lentil soups with equally hot rice/roti . Then, we cool ourselves off with some nimbu pani (lemon juice) or some chilled ice-cream.
The idea of having a cold soup didn't sound that appetizing to me, but after gawking and spotting at so many gazpacho and summer soups, I got pretty inspired. It looked colorful, refreshing and absolutely summer-y. So I thought that if I didn't try it now, it will just add up in my bucket list for next year!
If you had visited my blog before or saw the recipe list, you will figure out that I love trying new dishes. So, this was yet another interesting attempt I made, hoping that I could change my old school definition of soup.
As per wiki, Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalusia. I did not make a gazpacho but something similar to that. Maybe, my next attempt on cold soup would be a gazpacho.
This is a simple soup with zucchini, avocado and few other vegetables which I cooked partially and then blended it to give a creamy texture. To go with the soup, nothing seemed more interesting than a crispy puff pastry stick, mixed with some sharp asiago cheese and some chilly flakes to add the heat.
When I served it to Arvind, he took a couple of spoons and then looked at me and kept staring for a while. Yeah! that was clear enough.. he didn't enjoy it as much as I did. He finished the crispy sticks but the soup, that was left for me..
You could use some other vegetables if you wish, I however restricted mainly to zucchini, some peas and avocado.
Zucchini & Avocado Cold Soup with Crispy Sticks
Ingredients
For the soup
- For the crispy sticks
- 2 zucchinis (roughly chopped)
- 2 avocados - 1 avocado chopped and 1 avocado pureed
- 2 celery sticks (chopped finely)
- 1 medium onion (chopped finely)
- 1 cup peas
- 2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbs grated ginger
- salt
- pepper
- oil
For the crispy sticks
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- ½ cup grated asiago cheese
- 2 tbs chilly flakes
- 1 egg
Instructions
- In a pan, heat two tbs oil and saute the ginger and onion until they are cooked through.
- Add celery, zucchini and keep cooking for another 10 minutes.
- Then, add the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.
- Once everything is cooked through, remove it from the pan and blend it to a smooth mixture.
- Transfer it to a bowl and add peas, pureed avocado and the chopped avocado.
- Let it cool down completely.
- To make the crispy sticks, unfold pastry sheets on a lightly floured board.
- Beat the egg with few drops of water to make a egg wash.
- Use a pastry brush and brush the egg wash on the pastry sheet
- Sprinkle cheese and chilly flakes over the surface and pat it down to make sure it sticks to the sheets.
- Slice the pastry into thin sticks.
- Very gently, either twist it or swirl it.
- Transfer it to a baking pan and bake it at 400 F for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown in color.
- Sprinkle some lemon juice on the soup and serve it cold with the crispy spicy sticks or swirls.
Nutrition
Natalie
I love your green gazpacho and I'm sure the avocado adds a lovely creaminess to it. Your pictures are beautiful too!
Reem
Kankana, I really enjoyed reading this post, u reminded me of how we use to enjoy Hot & Sour soup in summers in India....., I can relate to every word you say girl :-). Well this soup looks really good and sticks are the bonus. I'm sure my hubby will react in same manner.
Thanks for sharing girl.
Sandra's Easy Cooking
Kankana, girl this looks amazing, and so very delicious! What a great stick, just perfect for this soup! AMAZING photos!!!
Kimberley
So perfect for summer!
Anita Menon
Cold soup - even I have my own reservations. I want to imagine yours steaming hot and then I am game:-)
The photos are really fantastic..
The sticks look wonderful!!
Angie@Angiesrecipes
Awesome soup with great clicks! Simply mouthwatering.
Tanvi
This looks delicious! I love cold soups in the summertime, they are so refreshing. I've always wondered why we didn't do cold soups in India! It seems perfect for the hot summers. Love the avocado!
Tanvi
This looks wonderful! I love cold soups in the summertime. They are so refreshing. I've always wondered why we didn't have more of them in India! I recently w
Joanne
Anything with avocado gets my attention and this sounds great! I love that it uses up some zucchini! Gorgeous photos.
Maris (In Good Taste)
Love both of these I am going to definitely make the crispy sticks today! I may even just roll them in Parmesan cheese since I know I have that on hand
chinmayie @ love food eat
Looks interesting! I am not big on cold soups either but this one sounds nice 🙂
Sadhana
Both the soup and the sticks look absolutely divine. Love your photographs.
Jeno @ Week Nite Meals
Loved your husband's reaction! I can imagine my hubby and little girl doing the same thing if I cook something as adventurous as cold soup!
Ann
The soup sounds delicious! My husband would have the same reaction. Your photos are simply stunning!
Stephanie
oooh this soup looks wonderfully refreshing! great way to use avocado (and i LOVE avocado!) yummm!
Tadka Pasta
Interesting soup! I bet my hubby would have a similar reaction. The bread-sticks are so lovely, especially the spiral ones.
Sarah@buttered-up
You've inspired me me to give cold soup a shot. Like you, soup to me is something warm and comforting and in Egypt, we eat very hot food all year round. I also remember visiting my grandma in India and being served up all this delicious steaming stuff right in the middle of summer. We'd then go and pick mangoes from our tree and make a hole on top. Squeeze, squeeze then suck from the top to get fresh mango juice! Hehe.
It's nice to know that there's someone out there who also thought the same. Thanks for inspiring me to try making cold soup as well. x.
Life is Full
Your husband's reaction is funny, a case of looks speaking louder than words! Your soup looks great but your pastry sticks have my heart!
Mother's Secret Home Recipes
Crispy stick lookS awesome...
Christine
Love soup. Your soup looks great. Thanks for sharing.