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
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
I can't bring myself drinking chilled soups and sandwiches. But this soup looks delish. A must try in my book 🙂
Jessica
You take such gorgeous photos! This is definitely my kind of dish. I love how beautiful it is and how perfectly the crispy sticks pair with your cold soup. Great recipe!
Divya
I love cold soups - this recipe is being bookmarked for sure! The cheesy sticks look great too!
Eftychia
Althoug summer, I would love to eat this soup. It really sounds delicious!
nancy at good food matters
I'd have to make this with vegetable broth---but other than that change, I think that this looks like a splendid summer soup. The avocado makes it for me!
jillian m. {coffee, light and sweet}
Yum! I'm actually going to try a chilled avocado soup this week that is slightly similar to this one. Did you enjoy the soup a lot? Would you have done anything differently? I could surely use some tips if you have any!
Kankana Saxena
I really liked it .. it was smooth and very light. But you could add some cheese in the soup I guess 🙂
peachkins
I haven't really tried avocado in savory dishes except for guacamole.. this looks fantastic!
sonia
Hey Kankana, The soup is looking absolutely delightful. Loved the new combo of ingredients and the recipe is so nicely made and presented. Saving this recipe of urs and wud love to give ur version a try on the coming weekend. Have a great day….Love n Regards, Sonia !!!
Juliana
Kankana, your cold soup looks delicious, love the combination of of zucchini and avocado...and perfect paired with the crispy sticks 🙂
Hope you are having a fantastic week!
Cheryl and Adam @ pictureperfectmeals.com
Cold soups are wonderful in the summer. We keep a pitcher of gazpacho in the fridge all summer long! This looks really good , too. Love the avocado and especially the crispy sticks. Great photos, too!
BBQ Grail
Thanks for the great blog post! I featured it in The BBQ Grail's 10 Posts Worth A Look for this week. http://wp.me/pwBnV-1Z0
Silvia
Delicious recipe and some beautiful pictures.
Besos.
Roxana GreenGirl
i've discovered cold soup couple of years ago while traveling both to Spain and Mexico. Back home, in Romania, no matter how hot it was outside we'd still take a spoonful, blow a couple of times and slurp.
Love the zucchini - avocado pairing, so delicious.
Thanks for sharing Kankana
Allie
Mmmm cold soup sounds AMAZING right now in this heat wave!
sally
Love your take on gazpacho! The cheese sticks look yummy too!
Bo W
It's very hot here too...This soup would really hit the spot!
Wokintime
The soup sounds divine, although my husband would probably gravitate toward the breadsticks as well! Something about my husband and cold veggies just doesn't mix.
I love the idea of gazpacho with different veggies though! I will definitely add this one to my to do list!
-Jamie
Priyanka
Totally agree with u that when ever I hear soup....i imagine something hot and steamy...
Loved Jis' reaction 🙂
torviewtoronto
delicious looking soup puff pastry sticks would be wonderful with this
Nash at Plateful
Cold soup huh? Sounds interesting though I've personally never tried one. Hey, I really loved your pitch black background shots. Did you shoot in natural light?
Kankana Saxena
yeah always in natural light. I don't have studio lights .. yet! 🙂