Saray Çorbasi
Region: Turkey
Category: Soups
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy
This Turkish soup called saray çorbası, or “palace soup,” most likely refers to the soup made in one of the Ottoman palaces or what some inventive cook thinks was made in the palace kitchens. The palace of the Ottoman sultan was described as a bottomless pit of food because he fed a huge palace population and didn’t care about expense. In 1527, there were 5,457 palace servants to feed. The Topkapı Palace alone had several kitchens and by the mid-sixteenth century the number of cooks in the imperial kitchens numbered 1,570. I’ve seen very few recipes for this soup and the two I’m familiar with are radically different. In Berrin Ardakoç’s Türk sofrası: Alaturka-alafranga yemek ve tatlı kitabı published in 1993 the soup is made with red lentils, onions, parsley, and mint while Irfan Orga’s recipe, which is the one I’ve adapted here, in her Turkish Cooking published in 1963 is made with mushrooms. Orga’s recipe is unusual in its use of wine and croûtons leading me to believe it is French-influenced. Of my nearly twenty Turkish cookbooks in English, French, and Turkish only these two books have a recipe.
[Photo: Clifford A. Wright]
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 50 minutes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups turkey or veal broth
1 pound small button (white) mushrooms, cut in half
1 cup half and half
5 egg yolks
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper or more to taste
1 cup croûtons made from French bread fried in olive oil (see Note)
1. In a pot, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat, then add the flour and cook, stirring, to form a roux for about a minute. Slowly pour in the turkey or veal broth, stirring constantly.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat, then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until browned and sticking to the pan, 6 to 7 minutes. Add a little broth to the skillet to loosen the bits on the pan, then transfer the mushrooms to the pot and bring the broth to a boil over medium heat, cooking for about 35 minutes in all. Remove from the heat and add the half and half.
3. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the wine, then add to the soup and let heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Roll the croûtons in the chives and serve with the soup.
Variation:
Note:
Making Homemade Croûtons
Pour enough olive oil into a large skillet so the bottom is covered to a depth of about a 1/16th of an inch. Heat the oil over medium heat for a few minutes, then add French bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Cook, stirring or tossing frequently, until the cubes of bread are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Optionally, you can add a crushed garlic clove to the heating oil and then remove and discard it before you add the bread.
Posted: 07/27/2010
