Chilled Strawberry-Rhubarb Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups 1/2-inch pieces rhubarb, fresh or frozen
• 3 cups water
• 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries
• ¼ cup sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil or mint, plus more for garnish
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring rhubarb and 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook until the rhubarb is very soft and broken down, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Put a couple inches of ice water in a large bowl and set the bowl with the rhubarb in it to help cool it quickly. (If you aren’t in a hurry, you can skip the ice-water bath.) Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool, at least 20 minutes.
2. Transfer the rhubarb to a blender. Add strawberries, sugar and salt; blend until smooth. Return to the bowl and stir in 1/3 cup basil (or mint). Serve sprinkled with more herbs and a generous grinding of pepper.