Cream of Cucumber Soup

  • 2 lbs. Cucumbers
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/3 c. chopped onions or shallots
  • 5 c. chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. wine vinegar
  • ½ c. chopped dill
  • ¼ c. farina or ½ lb. Cubed potatoes
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 c. sour cream

Peel and roughly chop cucumbers, reserving ½ a cucumber to slice into paper-thin slices.  Melt butter, cook onions or shallots until wilted.  Add chopped cucumbers, broth, vinegar and 1/3 c. of the dill.  Bring broth to a boil, whisk in farina or add potatoes.  Cook until soft.  Puree.  Before serving, reheat and thin if necessary with water.  Whisk in half of the sour cream, garnish with cucumber slices and a sprinkling of dill.  If you wish, this can be served cold, chilling instead if reheating.  Serve remaining sour cream at table as a garnish.

From The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.