This simple summer soup has a delicate and sophisticated flavor and is easy to digest and mild enough for fussy eaters.  If you like cream of celery, you’ll love this soup. This is good hot or chilled; making it well suited for a picnic or work day lunch. This is an ideal use for those over-grown garden cucumbers.  For a touch of spring green color, retain about 10% of the peel on the cucumbers, if they are not waxed.

Ingredients

1½ lbs. organic cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
3-4 oz. diced onion (~ ½ onion) or ½ oz. chopped chives
4 T butter or ghee or part chicken fat saved from a roasted chicken
3½ cups rich homemade chicken broth (can use the pan juices from a roasted chicken)
1 tsp. Real salt (to taste)
white pepper (to taste)
1 C cream or 1 ½ cups milk or coconut milk
2 egg yolks (opt.)
¼ C chopped fresh chives (opt.)

Instructions

Sauté the cucumber and onion in butter or ghee for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Puree the soup; season with salt and pepper.  If using coconut milk, add it now.

Just before serving, add the cream or milk and egg yolks to hot soup that is off the heat. Do not heat the soup once the cream and egg yolks are added.

Garnish with chives and/or diced radish.

If eggs are not allowed, place a teaspoon raw butter on top of each serving before garnishing with chives.

Variation: Dill Soup. Add ½ C chopped fresh dill at the simmer stage.