What’s Cookin’

Due to popular request, here is a list of ingredients for my (Turkish) cacık:

Plain yoghurt, chopped or grated cucumber, freshly minced garlic, olive oil,
water, mint and a touch of salt. Let it chill for a few hours in the fridge,
then serve with a couple of ice-cubes……..Deeeeeelicious!!

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Home-made Mercemek Çorbası (Lentil Soup)

Ingredients: Lentils, olive oil, chopped onions,
tomato paste and/or diced tomatoes, freshly-pressed garlic,
pul biber (crushed chillies), celery, carrots,
salt, pepper, chicken stock, and irreplaceable
Magi sauce from Chinatown…… fantastic on a cold day…hmmmm

OK! Here’s the procedure…. (special request from Eva)
Grab a decent-sized saucepan, and add a couple soup spoons olive oil.
On medium heat, add 4-5 finely chopped onions, don’t burn ‘em!
Add 3-4 crushed Garlic cloves, more if you wanna be healthy and smell beautiful.
Also a couple stalks finely chopped celery and a 2 diced carrots.
Rinse the lentils, and let soak in water while the onions and stuff cook.

When the onions, etc, are nice and soft, add 2-3 diced tomatoes and a small can of tomato paste too.
Mix that up with a wooden spoon, and add the lentils.

Whatever amount of lentils you use, add double the amount of water.
Mix it all up, and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to simmer.

Now’s the fun part. Add whatever spices and other stuff you like…
I would definately add some vegetable or chicken Bruhe/broth/seasoning.
Definately some Turkish pul biber (crushed chilles), Cayenne pepper is also great.
Salt and pepper to taste, Belgian, Turkish or German beer, thyme, hmm….oh and definately a good shot of Maggi Sauce

That’s it. Put a tea-cloth over the pan (don’t set it on fire!), and the lid on top of that.
The towel will absorb the steam. Regarding the water, add more as you check the soup, according
to how thick or thin you want it.

A small bag of lentils will make tons of soup! Last time I made this, I ended up with 2 pans…haha.
But that’s cool, cos it tastes wonderful, and you can always give some to your favourite neighbour / musician /
mum / etc, or freeze it for a rainy day.

A very tasty addition (depending on your dietary preferences of course), is to fry or grill a couple of delicious German sausages,
and then slice them up and add to each soup serving, just before you eat it.
DON’T put the sausages in the soup and freeze it though, keep the soup seperate and cook the sausages fresh each time.

Enjoy! Bon appetit, afiyet olsun, Guten Appetit, get stuck in…!
Let me know how it tastes…..it’ll warm your cockles on a cold day, that’s for sure

Andy the singing Chef