Active Time

　　20 minutes

　　Total Time

　　30 minutes

　　This splendid, delicately flavored soup is inspired by one that charmed me completely at a dinner in Istanbul to celebrate the adoption by UNESCO of Gaziantep as a Creative City for its gastronomy. All the recipes on the menu hailed from the city. 

　　You must try it—it’s marvelous. My granddaughter Ruby, who tested it, has adopted it with her friends at college. She sent me a photo of them eating it at their kitchen table with antique candlesticks and a bottle of wine.

　　The egg yolk and cornstarch prevent the yogurt from curdling as it cooks. The tiny pasta called orzo (or you can use long-grain rice) is cooked separately and added just before serving—if left in the soup too long it becomes bloated and mushy.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　¼ cup (50 g) orzo or long-grain rice

　　3 cups (720ml) chicken or vegetable stock

　　1 tbsp cornstarch

　　1 egg yolk

　　1 cup (240 g) Greek yogurt

　　1 tbsp dried mint

　　1 good pinch saffron threads or ½ tsp ground turmeric

　　Black pepper

　　¾ cup (120 g) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

　　Salt

　　Extra-virgin olive oil for serving

　　Sumac for serving

　　Aleppo pepper for serving

　　

Step 1

Cook the orzo or rice in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until done (check the package instructions), and then drain. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in a separate pan.

　　

Step 2

In a bowl, beat the cornstarch and egg yolk together with a fork until smooth, then beat in a spoonful of the yogurt until well blended. You can then add the remaining yogurt and beat until combined. Stir in the mint, saffron or turmeric, and some black pepper.

　　

Step 3

Take the stock off the heat and pour in the yogurt mixture, whisking vigorously. Stir over very low heat until the soup begins to simmer. Continue to stir for 3 to 5 minutes, until it thickens slightly, then add the chickpeas and heat through. Season with a little salt.

　　

Step 4

A few minutes before serving, mix the cooked orzo or rice into the soup.

　　

Step 5

Serve with extra-virgin olive oil, sumac, and Aleppo pepper for people to sprinkle on the soup if they want to.

　　Reprinted with permission from Claudia Roden's Mediterranean by Claudia Roden, copyright © 2021. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Ten Speed Press or Amazon.