Yogurt or Buttermilk Soup With Spinach and Grains

(from kylerhea’s recipe box)

Permalink at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/health/yogurt-or-buttermilk-soup-with-spinach-and-grains-recipes-for-health.html?ref=health

“This is informed by my yogurt or buttermilk soup with wheat berries from a few weeks ago, but this time I stirred chopped steamed spinach into the refreshing mixture. It’s a great soup to keep on hand as summer arrives. For a particularly irresistible version, add some diced avocado.”
Advance preparation: You can make this several hours before serving, but wait a while before you stir in the spinach so that its color doesn’t fade too much. If you’re making the soup to eat during the week (it makes a terrific lunch) keep the spinach separate and stir it into each serving.

Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 211 calories; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 12 milligrams cholesterol; 32 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 209 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 14 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 158 calories; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 9 milligrams cholesterol; 24 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 157 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 11 grams protein

Source: NYT: Martha Rose Shulman

Serves 6 people

Categories: Buttermilk, June2013, Soups, Summer, spinach

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound (1 generous bunch) spinach, stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water, or 6 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups finely diced cucumber (2 Persian cucumbers)
  • Salt to taste
  • 5 cups plain low-fat yogurt (free of gums and stabilizers) or buttermilk, or a mixture of the two
  • 1 cup finely diced celery
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), finely minced or puréed with a little salt in a mortar and pestle
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste)
  • 1 cup cooked barley, spelt, kamut or farro
  • 2/3 cup diced radishes
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sumac (more to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • Optional: 1 ripe Hass avocado, cut in small dice

Directions

  1. Place the cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Toss and place in a strainer set over the bowl. Allow to drain for 15 minutes. Rinse if desired and drain on paper towels.

  2. Meanwhile, steam the spinach above 1 inch of boiling water until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes, moving the leaves around with tongs once to ensure that they steam evenly. Rinse with cold water and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop medium-fine.

  3. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Thin out with ice water if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for one hour or longer.

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