Serves 6
• 2½ Tbs. butter
• 1 large onion
• 1 lb. fresh spinach
• 4½ cups Potato Peel Broth
• 3 long, slender cucumbers (about 1½ lbs.)
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of hot paprika
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup light cream
• garnish
• sweet paprika
• sour cream (optional)
• fresh snipped dill (optional)
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Chop the onion and sauté it in the butter until golden. Meanwhile, carefully wash and remove the coarse stems from the spinach.
2. Add the spinach to the onions and butter, and stir until wilted. Combine the cooked vegetables with the broth in a large pot. Peel, seed, and dice the cucumbers, and add them to the broth. Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, then purée it in a blender in batches and return it to the pot.
3. Slice the cream cheese and stir it into the hot soup. Continue stirring over low heat until all the cheese is completely melted and thoroughly incorporated into the soup.
4. Season the soup with a tiny bit of nutmeg, a tiny bit of hot paprika, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the soup from the heat, stir in ½ cup of light cream, and chill the soup for several hours.
5. When the soup is completely cold, taste it again and correct the seasoning if necessary.
6. Sprinkle a little sweet paprika on the soup after it is ladled into bowls to add a bit of color. This soup may also be garnished with a spoonful of sour cream in the center of each bowl and a sprinkle of fresh snipped dill.
