Brine-Pickled Cucumber Soup

I know that many of you are familiar with the recipe I'm talking about in here; but, those who's never tried making a soup out of brine-pickled cucumbers, let me tell you that you don't know what you're missing on.

The extreme taste of sourness is empowering, but in a good sense. The combination of strong acidity lightly tempered by sweetness of carrots and warm mildness of dill creates a taste you're going to remember forever.

I have used homemade pickles in the recipe; for me, the shop-bought cucumbers cannot even compete with the vegetables my mum had grown. And I must say, it was fun to wander in the garden every morning in search of new babies I would later squeeze into jars and cover with brine. 

So, if you managed to make some brine-pickled cucumbers in summer, and if you have any left, it's now the best time to use them. Just imagine all that goodness that you've preserved; the vegetables that grew thanks to the energy of the sun and your love. All this in a bowl of soup - it's the ultimate winter winner!

Note: If you don't have homemade brine-pickled cucumbers, you can easily buy them in most of the stores. But, it's like with almost every food, they are not as good as the ones that you have preserved yourself. 


Ingredients:

• 5 carrots
• 4-5 potatoes
• 1 onion
• 10 brine-pickled cucumbers
• 2 cups brine 
• a bunch of dill and parsley, tied together with a piece of thread
• 1/2 cup millet
• 5 bay leaves
• 6 grains allspice
• 1 tablespoon heavy or double cream
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• herb salt, Himalayan salt and pepper, to taste
• coconut oil, for frying
• dill, to garnish

Preparation:

1. Peel the carrots and potatoes and cut them into small 0,5 cm cubes. Put in a large pot, fill with water, add the bay leaves, allspice and a good season of salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion. Sizzle with a little bit of coconut oil until it's soft and lightly brown.
3. Grate the cucumbers using a medium-hole grater. 
4. Rinse the millet and add to the pot along with the cucumbers, brine and onion. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables have cooked.
5. Season to perfection with herb salt, Himalayan salt and pepper.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of hot soup liquid into a mixing bowl. Add the cream and give it a good stir until they combine well. Pour this creamy mixture into the soup slowly and stir.
7. When the soup has slightly cooled, add the olive oil.
8. Serve with some dill sprinkled on top.
9. Enjoy :)