Yogurt Or Buttermilk Soup With Spinach And Grains Food

YOGURT OR BUTTERMILK SOUP WITH SPINACH AND GRAINS

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

YOGURT OR BUTTERMILK SOUP WITH WHEAT BERRIES

Steps:

• 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.
• Combine all of the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for one hour or longer. Serve, garnishing each bowl with cilantro or mint leaves.

GRAINS IN HERBY BUTTERMILK

Steps:

• Toast grains in a dry medium heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just slightly darkened and beginning to smell nutty, about 4 minutes. Pour in 4 cups water, then add onion, garlic, lemon zest, and a couple of big pinches of salt; stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam from surface as needed, until grains are tender (pull out a few grains and take a bite to test), 35-45 minutes; pluck out and discard onion, garlic, and lemon zest.
• Meanwhile, purée parsley, dill, buttermilk, and a big pinch of salt in a blender until bright green and smooth. Pour into a medium bowl, add yogurt, and whisk until your arm gets a bit tired-3 minutes should do the trick (whisking the mixture well will ensure that the yogurt doesn't split and get grainy when you add it to the grains).
• Pour buttermilk mixture over grains. Increase heat to medium and bring to a bare simmer. Cook just until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and squeeze in juice from lemon half. Stir well, then taste grains and season with more salt if needed. Skim any foam from surface.
• Ladle grains into bowls. Drizzle some oil into each bowl and top with coarsely ground pepper.

SPINACH AND BUTTERMILK SOUP

Steps:

• In the container of a food processor or blender, combine half of the spinach with the buttermilk. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, and stir in the rest of the spinach. Stir together the cornstarch and water; mix into the saucepan along with the sugar, peanuts (see Cook's Note), and salt. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, and when they begin to sizzle, stir in the serrano peppers. (You can slice the peppers in two for added flavor and spiciness--or use fewer chiles, if desired.) When the peppers begin to soften slightly, scrape the contents of the pepper pan into the buttermilk mixture.
• Bring the buttermilk mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat immediately, and serve hot.

SPINACH AND YOGURT SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour, salt, tarragon, nutmeg and cayenne, and heat until fragrant. Stir in spinach (undrained) and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the soup from the heat, and puree in a food processor or blender in batches. Return to the saucepan, and whisk in yogurt. Heat through, but do not boil. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Ladle into bowls, and float a lemon slice on top of each serving.

SPINACH AND YOGURT SOUP

Steps:

• Wash and drain spinach; remove any large stems.
• Cut into strips.
• Heat oil in large saucepan and saute garlic, onion, and green onions until soft.
• Stir in rice; add 3 1/2 cups water and the turmeric.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Simmer for 15 minutes, then add spinach, cooking 5-7 minutes more, until rice is tender.
• Lower heat on soup.
• Stir yogurt briskly, then add to soup.
• Stir only to blend, and heat just until soup is heated through.
• Do not boil, or yogurt will curdle.
• Serve.
• As a suggestion, serve with fresh flatbreads with olive oil, olives, lemon wedges, and a plate of fresh herbs.

TURKISH BARLEY AND BUTTERMILK (OR YOGURT) SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy pot and saute onions until translucent.
• Add barley and saute, stirring lightly, until translucent and slightly toasty-smelling.
• When onion is well browned, add stock and cook until barley is well done, 45 minutes to an hour (or 25 minutes in a pressure cooker).
• Remove from heat, let cool a bit, and slowly add buttermilk and more stock to thin it if necessary. Sprinkle in dill and add butter or margarine.

CHILLED YOGURT-SPINACH SOUP WITH SHRIMP

Steps:

• Stir together cucumbers, half the yogurt, 3/4 cup broth, the pieces of scallions, and 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add garlic; cook until just golden, about 1 minute. Add spinach; cook, stirring, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir into yogurt mixture.
• Working in batches, puree mixture in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl, and stir in remaining yogurt, the onion, and lemon juice. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, put remaining cup broth, 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; season with pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp; cook until pink and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Refrigerate the shrimp, covered, until cold, about 1 hour. Divide the soup and shrimp among 4 bowls. Garnish with julienned scallions.