Mushroom Soup with Yogurt -- Mantar Çorbası

Here's another good cold-weather soup that's easy to make fresh at home and very delicious. Though the recipe doesn't call for it, I like to add fresh lemon juice--usually just a dash per bowl when serving it up hot.



Ingredients:

• 8-12 large mushrooms (150 g)
• 3 2/3 cups water or broth (900 g)
• 1 1/3 cups yogurt (330 g)
• ½ cup whole-grain flour (55 g)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt (12 g)
• 2 cloves garlic (6 g)
• 3 tablespoons butter (40 g)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper (1 g)

Directions:

Cut mushrooms into quarters. Place water or broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add mushrooms into boiling water. Reduce heat. Simmer for 30-35 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

In a bowl, combine yogurt and flour, blending well. Stir this mixture into mushrooms gradually and stir constantly. Reduce heat.

Season with salt. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add crushed garlic; mix.

Melt butter in a skillet. Stir in red pepper; mix. Dribble red pepper/butter mixture over soup. Serve hot.

6 servings.

Regional Characteristics:

The original recipe comes from Bolu province. Usually, a small type of mushroom, called "Mihtepesi," is used in soup making. This dish is also prepared in the Aegean Region.

This recipe is adapted from Samples from Turkish Cuisine.

Cream of Tomato Soup -- Şafak Çorbası

As the weather gets a bit nippy, I love a good, warm soup. And Turkish cuisine offers several. The first I'd like to share is one most people are familiar with, but made fresh at home -- Cream of Tomato Soup, or Şafak Çorbası. This recipe is easy and excellent.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup whole grain flour (55 g)
• 3 tablespoons butter (40 g)
• 5 cups water or broth (1200 ml)
• 3 medium size tomatoes (375 g)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt (12 g)
• 1 small egg (50 g)
• 3/4 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons milk (200 g)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper (1 g)
• 2 thin slices whole grain or sprouted bread (40 g)

Directions:

Brown flour lightly over low heat in melted butter. Add hot water or broth, stirring thoroughly. Bring to a boil.

Add peeled and sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until tomatoes are very tender.

Place into a food processor or using a stick blender, process until well blended and creamy.

Bring soup back to a boil and simmer for 1 minute.

In a small bowl, combine well beaten egg and milk, blending well. Stir egg/milk mixture into soup, adding gradually in a stream and mixing thoroughly. Boil gently for 1 minute.

Sprinkle with black pepper. Top with toasted bread cubes. Serve hot.

8 servings.

Regional Characteristics:

This soup is cooked in different parts of the country. When fresh tomato is not available, tomato paste (or canned tomatoes) can be used instead).

This recipe is adapted from Samples from Turkish Cuisine.

A Well-Stocked Turkish Kitchen

My husband returned from Turkey yesterday from a 3-week visit (part of the reason I didn't blog as I was so busy with extra work), and brought me several goodies. Olives, feta (beyaz peynir), pastırma, dried apricots (unsulphured) -- lots of good, healthy stuff.

So, I thought I would create a list of the well-stocked Turkish kitchen, ingredients so common on the table, that a Turkish cook would almost always have them in the cupboard, or buy them fresh frequently.

Oils:

• olive oil (extra virgen, cold pressed best)
  
• butter (the real stuff, not that nasty margarine)

Dairy:

• milk (sometimes still sold fresh off the street)
  
• feta (beyaz peynir)
  
• yogurt (and lots of it, whole milk)

Meats (usually used sparingly because of cost):

• lamb
  
• pastırma
  
• ground beef

Fish
(This is just a small selection. As Turkey is surrounded by 3 seas (Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black) plus many rivers, there is a wide variety of fish, and it's eaten frequently. I've never eaten better fish than in Turkey.)

• lufer (a type of blue-fish, but a whole lot better)
  
• anchovy
  
• sardines
  
• trout

Fruits--all kinds, whatever's fresh in-season:
Turks love fruit, and use it as a common dessert

• quince
  
• apricots
  
• peaches (from Bursa are heavenly)
  
• grapes
  
• apples
  
• pears
  
• figs (another fruit divinity)
  
• lemons (used in almost anything, freshly-squeezed, not bottled)
  
• olives (most commonly served at breakfast, but really at any meal)

Dried Fruits:

• dates
  
• apricots
  
• figs
  
• raisins

Nuts (I'll blog about kuru yemiş one day):

• almonds
  
• pistachios
  
• walnuts
  
• hazelnuts
  
• peanuts

Vegetables (again, what is fresh and in-season):

• eggplant
  
• leeks
  
• tomatoes
  
• okra
  
• celeriac
  
• squash
  
• carrots
  
• onions
  
• cabbage
  
• garlic (used year-round in almost everything)

Beans, Legumes and Grains:

• white dry beans (canneli)
  
• chick peas
  
• lentils
  
• bulgur
  
• rice (Turks usually use white, but I always use brown)

Greens:

• arugula
  
• purslane
  
• lettuce (usually Romaine)
  
• parsley (used as a salad, too)
  
• tere
  
• green onions

Herbs & Spices:

• dill
  
• parsley
  
• mint
• pepper paste

Drinks:

• tea (loose leaf, black)
  
• coffee (Turkish ground)
  
• dried ihlamur/ linden flowers (makes a great tea)
  
• rakı (a type of Turkish alcohol)

Misc:

• eggs
  
• honey
  
• tarhana (a base used to make a delicious soup)

I'm sure this list will grow as I remember certain items, or someone reminds me. Plus Turkey is a huge country and I did not experience all the various regional cuisines, unfortunately.