Chilled Avocado Soup

Posted by Judy on 9 July 2011 in Eat | 1 comment

I love avocados and I like to eat then plain, with a squeeze of lemon or lime, drizzled with sweet condensed milk, made into an avocado shake or as guacamole.

I always buy the big ones that come in those plastic weave bags at Costco. I don’t think I have ever seen any that big elsewhere. Whenever we go to the green grocer they are pitifully small. The problem I have with buying them at Costco is that there 6 or 7 huge avocados in the bag and I can’t always eat them as quickly as they ripen. Inevitably we always end up with one that is well past its prime by the time we get around to eating it.

As much as I love avocados, there is only so much guac one can eat before you feel the need to change it up. Last winter, I was at this incredibly good Mexican place and had avocado soup. It was really good and I always wanted to try my hand at making it. Being that summer is in full swing, a hot soup might not be the best way to go. That was when I thought what better way to cool off than with a gazpacho or some other cold soup, so why not make a chilled avocado soup? I tossed in some mint to make the soup even more refreshing on the palate.

Chilled Avocado Soup

2-3 large, peeled and diced avocados
1 cup milk (I went with skim since that was all I had)
Juice from 1 to 2 limes (depending on how much you like lime)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 minced serrano chilli (remove seeds if you don’t want too much heat, I removed some and kept some)
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 cups (or more) chicken broth (vegetable broth if you want it completely meat free)
Salt and pepper to taste
Salsa fresca to garnish (optional)

Method

Combine first 9 ingredients except in a food processor or blender.

Blend until smooth and transfer the avocado mix to large bowl. Gradually whisk in 3 cups broth. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover the soup and chill until cold. If the soup is too thick, you can thin it with more broth by whisking in a 1/4 cup at a time.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with salsa fresca if desired.