[1] Chilled cucumber soup. A little garnish turns it into food art (photo © Love And Lemons).

[2] Still on the vine, in a home garden with a wooden support for the heavy fruit—yes, cucumbers are a fruit (photo © Bernard Hermant | Unsplash).

We love elegant, chilled cucumber soup.

Unfortunately, the provider of our video recipes has closed down, leaving us with this tempting idea, but no video recipe on this page.

So instead, we present two options:

Here’s the commentary from the video recipe that went poof!

Cucumber soup is refreshing and low in calories—we use nonfat Greek yogurt instead of the whole milk yogurt and sour cream used in the video recipe. And it’s less costly to make than gazpacho.

Texture. Cucumber soup is customizable in texture, from chunky to smoothie-like (you can drink the latter from a glass or cup).

While the video host uses an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor for a finer texture.

Seasonings. Cucumber soup is receptive to a broad variety of favorite seasonings. While garlic, dill, and mint are traditional, you can change the recipe by adding basil, celery seed, curry powder, minced jalapeño, minced onion, shallot, tarragon, thyme, and/or sage.

Serving. Serve the chilled soup in plastic cups for parties—either with a spoon or as a puréed, drinkable version.

We’ll be serving cucumber soup as part of our Labor Day menu. Try it!

World Cucumber Day is June 14th.
 
 
> The history of cucumbers.
 
 
> The different types of cucumbers.
 
 
> More ways to use cucumbers.

Need to refill the salt shaker but can’t find the funnel?

Pouring directly from the box of salt can create a mess. Instead, use an envelope—preferably one of the smaller return envelopes that arrive in the mail.

1. Fill the envelope with the approximate amount of salt that you need. Seal the envelope.

2. Cut off one corner to create a funnel. If you need additional salt, just cut the top off the envelope and add more.

3. When the shaker is filled, place the “funnel” opening in the carton of salt to return any leftovers.

Why didn’t we mention filling the pepper shaker as well? You’ll find out in tomorrow’s Tip Of The Day.

Which Shaker Gets The Salt?

Traditionally, the multiple-hole shaker is for salt and the single-hole shaker is for pepper. The original reasoning is that people want more salt than pepper. But if you find that pepper flows better from the multiple-hole top, feel free to switch.

Before there were shakers, salt and pepper were served in small ceramic dishes (crystal dishes for the wealthy) called salt cellars. In the kitchen, a wood salt box* was used. Some have two compartments in order to hold both salt and pepper.

The word “cellar” doesn’t refer to the basement in this case. It evolved around 1434 from the Anglo-Norman word saler, based on the Old French salier (salt box) and the Latin salarium. Salarium is a great word. There’s more about it below, under Food Trivia.

Back to the salt cellars: People would simply take a pinch of salt from the dish. But shakers evolved as a more sanitary option.

The gentry used elegant crystal salt cellars (we still have our great-grandmother’s). Presumably, they all washed their hands before coming to the table and pinching the salt and pepper.

FOOD TRIVIA

For most of the history of the world, salt was a scarce commodity and very costly. Few countries had discovered underground salt deposits, and only those with seacoasts could evaporate salt from seawater.

Yet, as it is today, salt was very important for culinary, medicinal and industrial purposes. People even used it as currency:

 
A brief history of salt.

One of our favorite books is Salt, A World History, by Mark Kurlansky. It’s a page-turner.
*Lidded salt boxes are back in style, and are now made in split versions to hold both salt and pepper. In addition to the two-section wood salt box, here’s a handsome black marble salt box.

Whether bell peppers or hot chiles, roasted fresh peppers are delicious and easy to make at home under the broiler or atop the grill.

First the chiles are charred, then sweated to loosen the skin.

If you’re roasting hot chiles, you’ll need protective latex gloves—the skin-tight ones that doctors wear. This prevents the capsaicin—the chemical compound that gives chiles their heat—from touching your hands. After you begin to handle the chiles, don’t touch your eyes or mouth or you’ll feel the burn.

Part I: Char The Chiles

Photo of roasted peppers by Mad Circles| IST.

 
How To Serve Roasted Chiles

 
See the different types of chiles in our Chile Glossary.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but when cottage cheese is used in pancake batter, it lends a soufflé-like fluffiness that is truly special (so does ricotta). And you can sneak in the calcium-rich cottage cheese with no one the wiser.

We enjoy cottage cheese pancakes for both breakfast and lunch. We’ll look for any excuse to make a batch.

If you don’t like cooking from scratch, you can buy Heidi’s Cottage Cheese Pancake Mix, one of our favorites from a whopping 99 whole grain and multigrain mixes sampled (read the full article).

Friendship is largely an East Coast brand. If it isn’t sold near you, substitute your favorite cottage cheese.

COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES RECIPE

Ingredients

If you’re watching your diet, use egg whites, nonfat cottage cheese and sugar substitute.

Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in blender on low speed until blended.

2. MIX in optional fruit or chocolate.

3. LIGHTLY COAT hot griddle with cooking oil.

4. POUR the batter to desired size. Cook until golden; flip once. The pancakes take a bit longer to cook than conventional recipes because of the added heft of the cottage cheese.

5. SERVE immediately with syrup, jam, sour cream or crème fraîche. (Actually, we like them just as they are—no condiments necessary!)
 
 
TYPES OF COTTAGE CHEESE

Friendship makes nine different varieties of cottage cheese—something for everyone. If you don’t like one variety, try another:

 
Find more delicious cottage cheese recipes at FriendshipDairies.com.

You can also download a coupon to use on any Friendship product.

Here’s the best excuse for eating cookies and brownies: They’re 100% whole grain.

With their Whole Grain Collection, Dancing Deer is the first national brand to offer a line of 100% whole grain (and all-natural) baked treats.

The options include three cookies and three bars: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cranberry Orange Cookies, Totally Nuts Cookies, Chocolate Chunk Brownies, Fruit + Nut Squares and Peanut Butter and Jelly Squares.

You can’t taste the difference: Whole grain flour actually adds richness and flavor.

Look for Dancing Deer in fine food stores nationwide, or online at DancingDeer.com.

If you want to bake your own, Kodiak Cakes has delicious, whole grain chocolate chip cookie and brownie mixes.

An excuse to eat brownies: whole grains!
Photo courtesy Dancing Deer.

The different types of brownies?
Our favorite brownie reviews and recipes.