Yayla Çorbası/ Soup of the Mountain Pastures

mint and flaked red pepper: typical Turkish condiments

These two condiments are the condiments of choice for many Turkish soups. They can be sprinkled just as they are or alternatively, mixed with a little heated oil or melted butter and then swirled through the soup.

This soup with the splendid name is one of the top favourites in Turkey: you can just imagine Anatolian herdsmen huddled round a fire with a bowl of this healthy, heart-warming broth! Now that the weather has well and truly changed, I thought it would be a good idea to describe this one.  Years ago it was explained to me that this is the soup that the thrifty Turkish housewife makes when there is just that bit of yogurt left in the container and no-one wants to eat it. This way, there is no waste as it forms the basis of this simple but interesting soup. In this country, yogurt is eaten plain and it is thick and creamy, some makes more so than others.  When I first came here, oh how I missed my fruity ski yogurts. But time moves on and now I only eat plain. Our preference lies with Tikveşli as it comes with a delicious creamy skin and we always have it in the fridge. The variety of container sizes of yogurt in the supermarkets ranges from small to mind-boggling massive tubs, giving an idea of what a staple it is in Turkish households. Traditionally, it is always eaten as an accompaniment to a hot savoury dish, or as part of a meze like cacık or haydari.  It is never a dessert.

Ingredients for Yayla Çorbası (pron: yi- (to rhyme with high)la chor-ba)

Serves 8

½ cup of rice, rinsed and drained

1 cup chickpeas/nohut

2 tbsps plain flour, gently heaped

1 egg

2 cups yogurt

1 chicken stock cube

8 cups water

2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsps butter

4 tsps dried mint

Flaked red pepper (optional)

Method

§  Cook the rice in 2 cups of the water till softened ( 15 mins). The starch is released and will help to thicken the soup.

§  Add the remaining water to the same pan along with the stock cube, chickpeas, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins.

§  In a bowl, combine the yogurt, flour and egg and beat till smooth.

yogurt with egg and flour

§  Carefully take a ladle of the hot liquid and mix into the yogurt mixture. Stir until incorporated. Add one more. Then add all the mixture into the pan and simmer gently till thickened.

§  In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the mint. You can also add the pepper flakes at this point if using.  Cook on a very low heat for 30 seconds. Whisk this butter into the soup.

§  Serve hot.

and here is the yayla çorbası

how does it look?



Tips

1.       I usually mix the egg and flour directly into the yogurt in its container as in the picture above.

2.       I also think it is a good idea to make the soup a little bit in advance, say late afternoon, as then you can leave it and it will miraculously thicken to just the right consistency all by itself!

3.       I really like the addition of chickpeas in this soup. Not every variation includes them. You can add as many or as few as you like.

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We have just come back from a few great if wet days in Lisbon, where you can buy beautiful hand-painted plates and dishes. Here are the ones I bought: they are the ideal shape for mezes. It is always a good idea to seize the moment and buy pretty serving dishes when you travel as they are guaranteed to make any dish look appetizing!

beautiful hand-painted Portuguese dishes

OK not a meze just a stunning bunch of grapes

BEST DIET TIP #5

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Recipe of the Week - Vegetarian "Chicken" Patties

Vegetarian Faux Chicken Patties

 From allrecipes.com

• 1 (12.5 ounce) can vegetarian fried chicken (e.g., FriChik)
• 1 celery
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/4 large green bell pepper
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup dry bread stuffing mix
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Process the 'chicken' in a food processor and then transfer it to a medium mixing bowl. Run the celery, onion and green pepper through the processor. Add the vegetables to the mixing bowl and stir in the eggs, stuffing, salt and pepper; mix well. Form into patties.
2. In a medium frying pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry patties on each side until browned.
   
   
   
   

Be sure to link up your recipe below!! 

Cheese and Herb Crusted Salmon Fillet with Creamed Dill Mash

Salmon represents an extremely tasty and healthy dinner option. It can, however, become slightly repetitive if you like to enjoy its associated benefits on a regular basis. This incredibly simple recipe merely incorporates a crispy crust on top of the salmon fillet, adding a whole new dimension to its presentation and its taste, without significantly adding to the overall cooking time of the combined dish.

Ingredients per Person

2 medium potatoes
1 fillet of fresh salmon (skin on)
1 tsp freshly chopped dill (plus small sprig for garnish)
1 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp freshly chopped basil leaves
1/4 red bell pepper (finely diced)
2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
2 lettuce leaves
1/2 tomato
Flour for dusting
Salt and pepper
Sunflower oil and butter for frying



Method

The first step is to get the potatoes on to boil. They should be peeled, roughly chopped and added to a pot of cold, salted water. The pot should be put on to a high heat until the water begins to boil, then the heat should be reduced to achieve a low simmer for twenty-five minutes.

About ten minutes before the potatoes are due to be ready, some flour should be scattered over a dinner plate and seasoned with salt and pepper. A little sunflower oil and a small knob of butter should be added to a frying pan and put on to a medium heat. The salmon fillet should be patted in the flour on its skin side only, before the excess flour is gently shaken off and it is added to the pan, skin side down.



The breadcrumbs, cheese, basil and red pepper should be added to a small bowl, seasoned with salt and pepper and stirred well. The salmon should be fried on a moderate to high heat until it can be seen that it has cooked approximately two-thirds of the way through from the bottom up. At this time, the heat should be turned off completely and the salmon carefully turned over on to its flesh side, which will allow it to complete cooking in the residual heat only while the topping is added.



The skin of the salmon should have crisped up nicely and be easy to remove with a knife. Take care not to also damage the flesh of the fillet during this process. The breadcrumb and cheese mix should then be patted liberally on top of the salmon fillet. Some of the mix will spill in to the pan but don't worry about this as it will not affect presentation on the plate. The frying pan should then be placed under a hot, overhead grill for just a couple of minutes to melt and crisp the topping.



While the salmon is under the grill, the potatoes should be drained and mashed with the cream and chopped dill. They should then be added to the plate, along with the lettuce and tomato. When the slamon's topping has crisped as required, the salmon fillet should be carefully lifted with a fish slice and sat gently atop the lettuce leaves to complete the dish.