YOGURT OR BUTTERMILK SOUP WITH SPINACH AND GRAINS

Yogurt or Buttermilk Soup With Spinach and Grains image

This is informed by my yogurt or buttermilk soup with wheat berries from a few weeks ago, but this time I stirred chopped steamed spinach into the refreshing mixture. It's a great soup to keep on hand as summer arrives. For a particularly irresistible version, add some diced avocado.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories soups and stews, main course

Time 1h30m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

3/4 pound (1 generous bunch) spinach, stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water, or 6 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
1 1/2 cups finely diced cucumber (2 Persian cucumbers)
Salt to taste
5 cups plain low-fat yogurt (free of gums and stabilizers) or buttermilk, or a mixture of the two
1 cup finely diced celery
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), finely minced or puréed with a little salt in a mortar and pestle
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste)
1 cup cooked barley, spelt, kamut or farro
2/3 cup diced radishes
Freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sumac (more to taste)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 ripe Hass avocado, cut in small dice

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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 179, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 22 grams, Fat 6 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 11 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 668 milligrams, Sugar 12 grams