Lemon Grass & Cucumber Soup

Moo served this soup often--making it a family palate pleaser. She was an ardent devotee of all foods Asian. And when lemon grass began to come into our consciousness and into our recipes, she embraced it wholeheartedly. This is a very light, almost aromatic soup. In addition to being a good starter, it serves as an excellent palate cleanser. Enjoy.

5 cans chicken broth
6 stalks of lemon grass
1 ½ large cucumbers or 1 hydroponic
Remove outer dried leaves from lemon grass stalks, chop off tip of bulb and chop off the stiff stick-like ends then cut what is left in two pieces. Add to chicken broth, cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Do all of this ahead of time and do not remove lemon grass from broth.

Close to serving time, peel and de-seed cucumber halved lengthwise. Slice into 1/8” thick slices. Bring soup to boil again, add cucumber slices and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove lemon grass. Do not serve piping hot. Chopped cilantro can be added as garnish, but remember that the soup has a very delicate flavor so don’t use much (if at all).