Ernest Hemingway's Cold Cucumber Soup

Publish date: 2024-07-24
Ernest Hemingway's Cold Cucumber Soup

Hemingway's mother, Grace Hall Hemingway, published this recipe in The Nineteenth Century Women's Club Historical Centennial Cookbook. Ernest's connection with this sweet cucumber and leek broth is unclear, but here it is:

4 to 6 servings

3 cucumbers
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or mint
1 leek, white part only, sliced, or 1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups fresh chicken stock or canned broth
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
White pepper (optional)
1 cup half & half
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon honey (optional)Peel and slice two of the cucumbers. Peel, seed and grate the remaining cucumber. Heat the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the sliced cucumbers and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Add the dill or mint, leek and bay leaf and cook over low heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly. Add the stock and salt and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and let the mixture cool slightly. Purée the mixture, half at a time, in a blender or food processor. Return to the pan and add the white pepper to taste. Add the half & half, lemon juice and honey; then taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the grated cucumber. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in a chilled bowl.

Excerpted from The Hemingway Cookbook by Craig Boreth (c) Craig Boreth 1998. Used with permission of Craig Boreth.

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