Okroshka

You need:

• 4-5 radishes
• 4 boiled potatoes
• 2-3 boiled eggs
• 1/3 cup of sweet peas
• 3 cups of plain yogurt, or kefir
• dry, or fresh dill
• 1 Persian cucumber
• ½ cup diced Italian dry salami
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup of water
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Boil the peas, potatoes and eggs. Dice them along with the other ingredients. Mix them all together and add the salt, plain yogurt, and water. This soup is a cold summer soup, which means you could add some ice cubes in it. It is very refreshing in the hot summer days. You can easily make this a vegetarian dish by excluding Salami. This serves 4.

Cucumber Soup “Tarator”

You need:

• 1 European cucumber
• 3 cups of plain yogurt
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• ½ bunch fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups of water
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Pour the plain yogurt into a large bowl. Add the water and whisk until smooth. To make it colder, add a few ice cubes. Peel and chop the cucumber. Ground the garlic. Incorporate them into the bowl with the plain yogurt and water. Add the dill, finely chopped. Stir it, with some salt and the olive oil added to it. “Tarator” is a cold summer soup and it is served chilled. You can eat it as soup with a spoon, or just drink it from a cup. If you like it richer, add a couple tablespoons of ground walnuts. Enjoy!