Pic of Turkish village soup with bread and caraway

Turkish village soup with bread and caraway

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Soups & stews

Turkish village soup with bread and caraway

Soup Serves 4 1h 30 min
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

Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 1h 10 min

  • Step 1

    Heat the olive oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the vegetables over a medium flame.

  • 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.

  • Step 3

    Add the garlic, caraway and half the parsley and fry for another couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes.

  • 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.

  • Step 5

    Add the beans and cook for a final 10 minutes.

  • 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.

  • Step 7

    Serve with olive oil drizzled on top.