Avocado Soup

A confession: If I do a dinner recipe on the blog on a Friday? It's usually my worst one. Not necessarily because it doesn't taste good, usually it's because the picture isn't good. It's the post I didn't want to blog on Monday or Tuesday and then Wednesday came around and by Thursday I was like, "Do I even bother?" But this morning I thought about it and decided to post this avocado soup because it really is a good one. It's just an ugly picture (especially since I mutchkered with it---"mutchker" is a Yiddish verb my mom uses to mean "mess with"--and over-saturated it). Ignore its green slime quality and let me tell you how to make it.

Like the enchiladas, this recipe also comes from Lisa Fain's Homesick Texan Cookbook (it's really a great book). The steps are so simple, there's really not much to say. You heat chicken broth, coconut milk, cilantro, Serrano chile, ground ginger, ground cumin and lime juice together in a pot. Simmer for 5 minutes then turn off the heat and allow it to steep for 10 more minutes.

I didn't have chicken stock, so I used water which always works fine as a substitute (sometimes I prefer it because it makes for a cleaner taste).

Now, normally you pour that mixture into a blender along with the rest of the ingredients--avocados and buttermilk--and blend for your soup, but I was worried about making it ahead for my dinner party because avocados turn brown. So I just blended the base and refrigerated it until the guests arrived.

Actually, it wasn't getting cold enough in the fridge, so I poured it into a bowl and stuck it in the freezer (I only had an hour until the guests arrived). When they were there and at the table, I added the avocados and buttermilk and blended.

Unfortunately, there's no picture of that so you're stuck with my lead image which is that weird, pukey green. The taste though is really good especially if you pep things up with lots of salt and more lime juice (I found myself adding a lot of both). Also, at the end I sprinkled with some cayenne pepper for a little more heat and color.

It's an unusual soup, but a nice thing to serve in summer as an alternative to gazpacho or guacamole. Think of it as a combination of both, but a bit uglier and you'll get the idea. Now let's move on before I regret hitting "publish."

Recipe: Avocado Soup

Summary: From Lisa Fain's "Homesick Texan Cookbook."

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup canned coconut milk (stirred)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for topping
• 1 serrano chili diced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons lime juice, plus more at the end
• 2 avocados peeled and pitted
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Bring the first 7 ingredients to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. If you want a cold soup, refrigerate that mixture for several hours before adding the avocados. If you want it hot, that's kind of weird (hot avocados? Ew.)
2. Blend that up, then add the avocados, the buttermilk, and salt to taste. Now, if you're like me, you'll want to adjust it so taste and add more lime juice, more buttermilk, and more salt until you love it.
3. Serve in chilled bowls with more cilantro and Cayenne pepper sprinkled on top.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 5 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4