This pretty, light green soup contrasts sweet cucumber with tart yogurt and lemon juice. The thick texture of Greek yogurt works particularly well with the other ingredients. If you can’t find it at a supermarket, substitute plain, whole milk yogurt or sour cream. This is good for a ladies’ luncheon on a hot day. The soup would be hopelessly bland without sweet onions, pickles, and chives perking up each bite. It is best to prepare it the day you serve it so the vegetables stay fresh and crunchy.

Ingredients:

4 English cucumbers, divided
1 Vidalia onion, peeled and minced
2 half-sour pickles, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pint plain Greek yogurt
1 cup light cream
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 bunches fresh chives, minced

Directions:

Peel and dice 3 of the cucumbers. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, cut 16 paper-thin slices from the remaining cucumber. Set aside. Peel and dice the rest of the cucumber. In a 4 to 6-quart glass bowl place the diced cucumbers, onion, pickles, and garlic. Squeeze the lemon juice over the vegetables. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

In a separate bowl combine the yogurt, cream, stock, coriander, onion powder, Tabasco sauce, and chives. Stir to combine thoroughly and pour over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve in chilled bowls with the thin slices of cucumber on top.

Makes 6 to 8 servings. A mandoline, a special kitchen tool made from a flat base with adjustable blades on top, is primarily used for slicing firm fruits and vegetables into uniform shapes (such as julienne and waffle cuts). It is particularly useful for creating paper-thin slices of ingredients, including the cucumbers used in this recipe.