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In the heat wave we crave especially cold dishes. Gazpacho is the king of cold soups, but today we bring you a typical alternative from the Balkan region. The recipe is called tarator and is a soup based on cucumbers, walnuts and yogurt, which is traditional in countries such as Bulgaria or Albania, mainly. Its preparation is very simple and quick -no cooking is required- and it is also healthy and very refreshing. Take note because you will surely want to try it today.
Tarator recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 medium cucumbers
- 200 ml natural or Greek yogurt
- 250 ml water
- 1 clove of garlic
- 5 sprigs of dill
- 4 spring onions
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 100 g walnuts
- 1 star anise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Wash the cucumbers and cut them on both sides. Grate half and dice the other half into small cubes for a better texture of the soup. Mix everything in a bowl.
- Pour the honey in a small saucepan and add the aniseed. Heat so that the honey absorbs the aniseed and then remove. Pour the scented honey over the cucumbers.
- Next, chop the garlic and add it to the bowl, along with the juice and zest. Also finely chop the spring onion, dill and walnuts – which you can toast beforehand if you like – and add them all to the bowl.
- Finally, add the yogurt, mix well and season with salt and ground pepper to taste.
- All that remains is to add the water and the tablespoons of olive oil to enrich the soup. Keep in the refrigerator for 3 hours to cool well and voilà, you have a cold soup ideal for this heat wave. You can serve it with ice to make it even cooler.
