Turkish Cucumber and Mint Soup

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (2 to 3) English cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 containers (7 to 8 oz. each) plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• About 2 tsp. Aleppo pepper* or coarsely ground dried California chile
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, plus small whole leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Preparation

1. 1. Whirl cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, oil, and 1 container yogurt in a blender until smooth. Pour into a stainless steel bowl and whisk in remaining yogurt, 2 tsp. Aleppo pepper, the salt, and black pepper.
2. 2. Nest bowl in ice water; stir often until cold, about 15 minutes.
3. 3. Stir chopped mint and dill into soup just before serving. Sprinkle bowls with more Aleppo pepper, if you like, and mint leaves.
4. *Buy Aleppo pepper from grocery stores or worldspice.com, or buy dried California chiles in Latino markets (pulse in a food processor to grind coarsely).
5. Note: Nutritional analysis is per 1-cup serving.