Zucchini, Yogurt, and Mint Soup (Zuppa Fredda di Zucchine e Menta)

Looking to make a yummy cold soup for dinner on a hot July night, I stumbled onto this zucchini, mint, and yogurt soup recipe. It was in a couple Italian food blogs, but Guido seemed a bit mystified that it was an Italian recipe. We discovered that it's considered a "modern Italian creation," as yogurt is not a very integral part of Italian cuisine. Regardless, it's creamy, delicate, and easy to make...and (supposedly) Italian.

Prep time: This should take about 20 minutes, but let it chill in the fridge for a bit before serving.

Serve with: We had this with sautéed chicken and a simple salad.

Ingredients (for 2):

• 2 Zucchini (keep the peels)
• approx. 1 to 2 cups of yogurt (I recommend that you use one with a medium-thick consistency--I used half thin goat milk yogurt and half Fage's very thick "Total" Greek yogurt to get what I wanted. It's what we had in the fridge.)
• About ten chopped mint leaves (more or less depending on how much you like mint)
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• G-spot ingredient: High-quality olive oil to drizzle on top

Directions:

• Carefully clean the zucchini, then cut into chunks or strips.
• Boil or steam the zucchini until tender (easy to mash with a fork).  
• Tip: Add a teaspoon of salt to the water to tenderize and add a bit of flavor.
• Drain the zucchini.  
• Tip: To make them cool faster and keep the color, cool them in an ice bath after draining (a small bowl with ice and water)
• When totally drained, blend with a hand blender or food processor/blender in a soup bowl.
• Add the yogurt and 8 mint leaves. Start with just one cup of yogurt, then add more to make it more soup-like, depending on the consistency.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Top with chopped mint (last two leaves) and a little olive oil.

Buon Appetito! 

 Boil the zucchini. 

 Blend the zucchini.

Variations: I peeled the zucchini the first time and for these pictures, but the next time I left the peels on and it was much better: more flavor and more color. I'd also experiment with a little garlic as well. Maybe half a clove chopped finely, added while blending everything together?

If you try this recipe or a variation, will you leave a comment and tell us what you did and how it turned out?