Cold Parsley Soup Recipes

HOW TO MAKE PARSLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Boil a large saucepan of water. Fill a 6 quart (6 L) saucepan approximately ¾ full with cold water, and place it on the stove. Set the heat to high, and allow the water to come to a full boil. The pot will boil more quickly if you place a lid on it.
• Cook the parsley for 1 minute. Once the water is boiling, place 1 pound (450 g) of fresh parsley in the pan. Allow the parsley to cook until the leaves become bright green and wilted. That should take approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute. Keep a careful eye on the parsley so you know when it's done. If you cook it too long, you may dilute some of its flavor.
• Drain the parsley and set it in cold water. When the parsley is finished cooking, transfer it immediately to a colander to drain it. Next, place it in a bowl of ice cold water. Let it sit for approximately 1 minute to stop the cooking process. Drain it in the colander a final time to remove the water. While you're draining the cold water from the parsley, it's a good idea to give the leaves a squeeze with a towel or spin them in a salad spinner to ensure that you get rid of any excess moisture.
• Chop the parsley. When the parsley is dry, gather all of the leaves in a pile. Use a sharp knife to give them a rough chop. Be careful not to press on the parsley too hard with the knife or you may bruise the leaves. There's no need to remove the stems from the parsley. The stems actually have a nice, sharp flavor that works well in the soup, and because it's eventually pureed, the stems won't ruin the texture of the soup either.

COLD PARSLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Puree cucumbers and pepper in a blender or food processor. Add scallions, parsley and garlic and continue to puree until the mixture is smooth.
• Add one-half cup of the yogurt and process until smooth. A blender will produce a finer result than a food processor, and if you do not have a blender you may want to strain the soup through a fine sieve.
• Stir in remaining cup of yogurt, season with salt and pepper and chill several hours before serving. Garnish with sprigs of parsley.

PARSLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Chop leek and wash in a bowl of cold water, agitating it, then lift out and pat dry.
• Cook parsley stems and leek in oil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and water and simmer, covered, until zucchini is very tender, about 10 minutes.
• Purée mixture in a blender with parsley leaves until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Season with salt and pepper. If desired, pour through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned saucepan, pressing hard on solids, then discarding them. Reheat if necessary.

PARSLEY SOUP

Steps:

• Soften the onion, garlic, coriander, chili pepper and ginger root in the butter over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for 1 minute. Add 4 bunches of the parsley, stems intact, and toss to wilt, about 2 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the milk, salt and black pepper and simmer for 5 minutes more. Pass this mixture first through a food processor to make a paste, and then through a food mill, to remove the fibrous parts of the parsley stems. Cool. Stir in the buttermilk, bread crumbs and all but one tablespoon of the almonds and adjust seasoning.
• Pick the leaves from the remaining bunch of parsley and mince them well. Add to the soup. Serve the soup hot or cold, garnished with the parsley zest (recipe below) and, if you desire, a splash of parsley oil.

COLD CUCUMBER SOUP

Steps:

• Line a fine sieve with a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth. Add yogurt and strain for 30 minutes. Pour away the whey that collects.
• Peel cucumbers; scrape out and discard the seeds. Roughly chop cucumber and place in a blender. Add 1/2 of the yogurt, 1/2 of the buttermilk, and 1 clove garlic; puree. Add remaining yogurt, buttermilk, garlic, mint, and parsley; process everything until finely pureed. You might have to work in batches depending on the size of your blender. Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled.