Soups & stews
Turkish village soup with bread and caraway
The bread thickens this comforting soup so that you can almost stand your spoon up in it. It's simple to cook, great for vegetarians and vegans, and makes a nourishing, aromatic lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 level tbsp caraway seeds
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 400g tin whole plum tomatoes
- 500g cabbage, sliced, then roughly chopped
- 1 litre water or 750ml water and 250ml bean liquor
- 400g home cooked borlotti or pinto beans (200g dried weight) or 2x400g tins, drained
- 200g day old ciabatta or white rustic bread, half the crusts removed, torn into bite sized pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Method
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Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the vegetables over a medium flame.
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Step 2
When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt and gently fry, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables turn golden - about 15 minutes.
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Step 3
Add the garlic, caraway and half the parsley and fry for another couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes.
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Step 4
Cook for 10 minutes, then add the cabbage together with the water (or water and bean liquor) and continue simmering for a further 20 minutes.
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Step 5
Add the beans and cook for a final 10 minutes.
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Step 6
Remove from the heat, stir in the bread and remaining parsley and allow to sit for 5 minutes so the bread absorbs the liquid.
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Step 7
Serve with olive oil drizzled on top.
