It's JULY.
We wanted something easy and cool, or, better,
COLD.
Fred said:
CACIK!
Yogurt+Cucumber Soup!
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:
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