Summer might be my least favorite season in Chicago. I know! I know! I feel very conflicted about it, too. Admittedly, there is much I like about summer, especially as it relates to food: farmers markets! local everything! hot dogs! The thing is, I really dislike being hot. My thermostat is off, I run hot already. And the humidity in Chicago really gets me down. So, unlike every other Chicagoan who cant wait for summer….I am ambivalent. Of course, there are those dry sunny days in the 70’s that I too love, but they’re pretty rare. Mostly it is too hot and too humid. So, I look for ways to cool off. This lassi does the trick.
It is more of an idea than a recipe, try adding some coconut milk to your shake. Not enough to make this very coconut-y or tropical, just enough to add a little suppin’ suppin’. I got the idea from this month’s Bon Appetit, which has a whole spread on strawberries—harbingers of summer in the Midwest. The original recipe was a little more subtle, I wanted a bright pink drink, so I increased the amount of strawberries. You do what you like. But do make this, because it is really delicious and it gave me another reason to appreciate summer.
Strawberry-Coconut Lassi (recipe adapted from one by Yvette van Boven [1])
- 2 cups halved, hulled, strawberries
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Serves 2.
***Bryan astutely observed that the sliced strawberries looked exactly like dolphins! Cute overload.