Summer’s soup recipes are wonderful and on a warm day what could be lovelier than a bowl of cold soup. Summer soup is different from winter soup. Winter soup is heavy, substantial, serious. It sticks to your ribs. But summer soup is light, frivolous, festive. It cools you down from the inside out. And if it is the right soup, it can even be a little bit sweet.

These soups make elegant starters for a dinner yet are just as comfortable for outdoor eating, picnics and barbecues. The hotter the temperature, the cooler the soup needs to be, so add ice cubes or serve in chilled bowls. Not too hot, then serve at room temperature, which also gives soup maximum flavor.

A summer soup made with the bounty from your local farmers market or CSA is a great way to eat healthy and support local growers. Whether you’re using fruits, vegetables or a combination of both, you’re likely to come across some interesting flavors you haven’t experienced before. Flavoring your summer soups with an array of spices will add diversity.

Even though most summer soups are served cold or chilled, most must start out being cooked on the stove. When you can, you might want to do any of the necessary cooking in the cooler morning hours, so you won’t be heating up the kitchen right before mealtime. This strategy will give your soup plenty of time to chill. Chilled soup leftovers make an easy and quick lunch, also.

Cold soups need to chill at least two hours to taste their best at serving time. If you need to chill your soup quickly, place it over ice to cut down on the refrigeration time.

Fruit Soups

Fruit soups are a refreshing way to start or end a summer meal. Berry soups are often a combination of sweet and tart flavors. Tartness is important, since some of the flavor may fade while the soup cools. Buttermilk or yogurt are often used to add a smooth tartness.

Fresh lemon juice is often used to bring out the flavors of the fruit, but be careful when using lemon — too much can turn your soup an unappealing brown. Color is an important aspect of these cool, lively dishes.

Fruit soups are fun to garnish in creative ways, with whole berries, sliced fruit or a bit of sour cream. Soups served this way have visual appeal

Vegetable Soups

Cool summer vegetable soups are a nice variation from serving a salad. They can also be a hearty meal by themselves. Unlike the desired smoothness of a fruit soup, summer vegetable soups are often rich and full of texture. For additional texture, add beans, rice or bread to the mix.

Again, there’s nothing like a summer farmers’ market to offer you an array of vegetables for creating soups: spinach, avocados, cucumber, tomatoes, beets, carrots, corn and asparagus, for example. Any of these creatively combined with herbs and spices in a summer soup will revive your weary taste buds after a long summer day.

Remember, when cooled, some of the flavors of your vegetables may fade, so you need to start with the freshest ingredients you can find. Newly picked vegetables will give you the most satisfying results.

Blueberry Soup

8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups water
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons honey, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream, plus extra for garnish

Directions

Combine blueberries, water, cinnamon stick, honey and ginger in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until most of the blueberries have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Puree the soup in 2 batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when pureeing hot liquids) or use an immersion hand blender. Place a fine sieve over the pan and pour the soup through it back into the pan, straining out any solids. (Discard the solids.)

Whisk cornstarch and milk in a measuring cup until smooth. Whisk into the blueberry mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Boil, stirring constantly, until the soup thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, loosely cover and chill until cold, at least 5 hours or up to 2 days.

Just before serving, whisk 1 cup sour cream into the soup and ladle into bowls; top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and swirl it decoratively into the soup. Garnish with additional blueberries, if desired.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Prepare through Step 2 and chill for up to 1 day. The finished soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Herbed Zucchini Soup

4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, (about 3 medium), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or dill
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, (3 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1/4 teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
• Garnish with fresh herbs and zucchini strips

Directions

Place broth, zucchini and tarragon (or dill) in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the zucchini is tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Reheat over medium-high, slowly stirring in cheese until it is incorporated. Remove fromthe  heat and season with salt and pepper. Chill and serve with garnishes.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Chilled Melon Soup with Basil

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 cups chopped honeydew melon
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped basil, plus a few leaves for garnish
• 1/4 cup lime juice

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a blender and purée, stirring often, until very smooth. Transfer to bowls and serve grnished with basil leaves. Alternately, transfer to a container, cover and chill before serving.

Chilled Tuscan-Style Tomato Soup

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups (1-inch cubes) country-style Italian bread
• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, each cut into quarters
• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Additional basil leaves, for garnish
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In small skillet, heat oil on medium until hot. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring. Remove skillet fromthe  heat.

In food processor pulse bread until coarsely chopped. Add tomatoes and garlic; pulse until soup is almost pureed. Pour soup into a bowl; stir in chopped basil, sugar and salt. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Garnish each serving with basil leaves. Makes about 6 cups.

Peach Soup with Shrimp and Crab

8 servings

Ingredients

Seafood Topping:

• 8 ounces chopped cooked shrimp
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 4 ounces lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon seeded, minced hot fresh pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Soup:

• 3 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup matchstick-cut radishes
• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon seeded, minced fresh hot pepper

Directions

To prepare seafood topping:

Combine shrimp and lime juice in a medium bowl; add crab; toss gently to combine. Stir in 3 tablespoons onion and next 4 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon salt). Chill at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

To prepare the soup:

Combine peaches, 1/3 cup juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place half of the peach mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed peach mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining peach mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup onion and remaining ingredients. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

To serve: Ladle about 1/2 cup of soup into a shallow bowl and top with 1/4 cup of the seafood topping.

Cucumber Soup with Watermelon and Mint

12 servings

Ingredients

• 8 large cucumbers, seeded and chopped
• 1 block (1-pound) silken tofu, drained
• 1/2 cup ice-cold water
• 1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons (about 1 lemon) lemon juice
• 1 bunch fresh mint, stems removed, chopped and divided
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups seeded and diced watermelon
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl, setting aside 2 tablespoons of mint and stir to combine. Working in batches, purée allthe  ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer soup to a large pitcher, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Before serving, taste soup and adjust seasonings, if needed. Divide soup between chilled bowls and top evenly with watermelon, reserved chopped mint and a drizzle of olive oil.

Related articles

• Easy Healthy Blueberry Recipe: Berry Buttermilk Soup (foodsuncovered.wordpress.com)
• Summer Vegetable Soup Recipe (momitforward.com)
• Vegetable Cabbage Soup (simplysophisticatedlady.com)

Posted by Jovina Coughlin in berries, Bread, Cheese, crab, cucumbers, Fruit, Healthy Italian Cooking, Herbs, Honey, melon, peaches, shrimp, Soup, Vegetarian, watermelon, zucchini Tags: cold soups