Saturday, July 29, 2017

July Cacik (or Culy Jajik) Cucumber Yogurt soup 7/29/17



It's JULY.
We wanted something easy and cool, or, better, 
COLD.   



 Fred said: 
CACIK! 
                        Yogurt+Cucumber Soup!  


How it looked in Oakland...
How it looked in Chicago -- grated cucumber being added to yogurt and garlic mixture.

The Turks, like the Greeks and the Armenians, 
are pretty straightforward about it:  
         yogurt, cucumbers, a little garlic, 
         fresh dill and or mint,
                     and maybe a bit of olive oil.   
The Persians add jewels: 
                    golden raisins, pomegranate seeds, 
                    walnuts, rose-petals....  


                                                      We decided to try everything.
Here is Carel trying the mix...before we thought of adding ice cubes to make is colder and more soupy.  As seen from Chicago.

Persian style CACIK: cold yogurt soup
4 cups Greek yogurt
2 cups grated Persian (TJ’s) or pickling cucumbers
                        (I grated most, chopped some
¾ cup seedless yellow [Carel] black [Fred] raisins.  Black currants are really good, too, actually Carel’s pref.
2 small cloves garlic, minced
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup finely chopped walnuts [Carel], lightly toasted if you want.
1 tb, minimum tablespoon minced fresh dill
2 Tb minimum tablespoon minced fresh mint

Beat the yogurt in an electric mixer or with a rotary beater.
Combine the yogurt, cucumber, raisins and garlic.   Add dill and mint.
Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least one hour or over night.
Taste for salt,
Add the walnuts. This can be done while making, or at serving.

Thin with ice water or add ice cubes.

Garnish with
pomegranate seeds
[dried rose petals] Carel [really pretty but did nothing for the flavor]
dried mint


the pomegranate seeds were a terrific flavor addition!
Cousin Vicky says this lasts in the frig, garnish and all, for several days.



And here we are eating it together...Carel in Oakland (on screen), Fred in Chicago (on table)...
and vice versa: