Cucumber And Yogurt Soup With Walnuts And Rose Petals From 'A Change Of Appetite'

• 2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped, plus matchsticks of cucumber to serve
• 1 cup walnuts, plus extra chopped walnuts to serve
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped dill leaves, plus extra to serve
• Pinch of dried red pepper flakes
• Leaves from 5 sprigs of tarragon
• 1 3/4 slices stale white country-style bread, crusts removed, torn
• 1 cup strong chicken stock
• 1 cup Turkish yogurt (or Greek, Turkish is thinner)
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, or to taste
• Salt and black pepper
• Handful of raisins (optional)
• Pink or red rose petals

1. If you will be serving the soup with raisins, put them in a small bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Let stand for 30 minutes to plump them up, then drain.
2. Put all the ingredients for the soup into a blender, in batches if necessary, and process. You will have to stop every so often and move the ingredients around so that all of them get to be near the blade. Taste for seasoning; this soup needs really careful adjusting. You may find you need a drop more lemon juice or white balsamic or extra virgin oil instead of salt or black pepper.
3. Chill well, then serve in small bowls, with the raisins (if using), chopped walnuts, cucumber matchsticks, dill, and rose petals.
4. Cucumber soup is wonderfully adaptable and can be dressed in all kinds of ways. Instead of rose petals and walnuts, top this with spoonfuls of salmon tartare or flaked hot-smoked salmon, or even with chopped, still-warm hard-boiled egg and sauteed shrimp. You could also try replacing the dill in the recipe with basil, and the walnuts with almonds, to make a more Italian soup. Top with finely chopped tomatoes and torn basil leaves mixed into a vinaigrette, or almond and basil gremolata.

cucumbers, walnuts, garlic, scallions, mint leaves, dill, red pepper, tarragon, bread, chicken, turkish yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, white balsamic vinegar, salt, handful of raisins, petals

Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/08/cucumber-and-yogurt-soup-with-walnuts-and-rose-petals-change-of-appetite-diana-henry.html (may not work)