Known as Dugun Corbasi, this tasty soup is as its name suggests served at Turkish wedding parties as an appetizer. It is served in small bowls but can be served more generously to make a hearty main course. In summer it is great served chilled. There is a strange tale about how this soup originated: An old wise Turk called Nasrudin Hoca was on his way to preach at a mountain village and got caught in a freak snowstorm. The next day he was found barely alive close to the inn by local villagers. When he was conscious he thanked everyone for saving his life. He explained "I kept myself warm by watching the glow of the inn's light". The villagers were happy to have saved the old sage’s life but they asked him to show them how grateful he was. The man said he would make a feast for them all to share. The villagers gathered at the inn the next night and began to party. The old man ran around looking busy but no feast appeared and finally the villagers demanded that they be served. Nasrudin Hoca replied, "A festive occasion like this calls for a wedding soup. Come and see how it is being prepared." They all followed him into the kitchen where they saw a massive pot hanging from the ceiling lit underneath by a candle. The villagers complained, "You don't expect this candle to cook the soup, do you?" The old man answered, "Why not, if the glow of the inn's light warmed me. Why not? If the glow of the inn's light can keep a poor soul in the forest warmed up, surely a candle can cook a cauldron of wedding soup."Ingredients:
8 glasses of meat stock
250 gr. mutton
500 gr. mutton bones
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 carrot
1 onion
A pinch of salt
For the Sauce:
2 egg yolks
Juice of half a lemon
For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of paprika
Instructions:
Cut the meat into small pieces.
Peel the onion and the carrot.
Put the meat, bones, carrot and onion into a saucepan and add the meat stock.
Cook for three hours until the meat is tender.
Sieve off the stock into a separate pan.
Shred the meat into small strands then add them to the stock.
Melt the butter in a pan and mix in the flour to form a smooth paste then gradually pour in the stock stirring to ensure that there are no lumps.
Add the salt and bring to boil.
For the Sauce:
Beat the lemon juice and egg yolks together in a mixing bowl.
Mix in a little of the thickened stock and stir vigorously, then add the mix to the main saucepan and stir in.
For the Dressing:
In a pan, sauté the paprika with the butter.
Serve the soup in a serving bowl and put the paprika dressing on top.
All that’s left to do is enjoy over a glass of wine with someone you love!
