Cucumber Gazpacho

My neighbor in Greece on the island of Evvia where we like to spend a couple of week in summer, does not speak English. Nor do I speak Greek. Anyone would think after this preamble that the story ends here, but it doesn’t, Giorgos has found a way to my heart with offerings of fresh fruit and vegetables from his garden. My joy in receiving and his in giving, has been the starting point of many non verbal chats, gesturing, whispering the words we do not know how to pronounce, occasionally relying on ‘google translate’ – which by the way, he finds most entertaining.

Yesterday morning he presented me with a bagful of cucumbers.  I grated some and mixed them with garlic, salt and Greek yogurt to make tzatziki and the rest, I decided to make cucumber Gazpacho, refreshing and filling it’s the perfect starter for hot day.

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized cucumbers
• 1 garlic clove
• 10 basil leaves and a few more for the garnish
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Enough water to cover the ingredients in the blender
• 2 tablespoons sheep’s milk yogurt or any yogurt of your choice

Method

1. Peel and diced the cucumbers
2. Place cucumbers, basil, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and water in the blender and liquidize.
3. When the gazpacho is smooth, stir in the yogurt and serve in glasses garnished with basil.