Cold Cucumber Soup

My Provençal friends call this soup Gazpacho á la Mireille, although it lacks the acidity of its Spanish namesake—something of an acquired taste (as we both are). I love to serve it for lunch on hot, dry summer days. Sometimes I purée it before chilling. The cucumber is, like the leek, a mild diuretic, rich in potassium and low in sodium; both help flush out the toxins. The shrimp provides protein; with a slice of baguette or brown bread and some fresh fruit for dessert, the dish makes for a deliciously well-rounded summer lunch in the shade, listening to the cigales (crickets), or your children chatter.