Levant: Recipes and memories from the Middle East. Anissa Helou
soup and always make it when chard comes into season. We often had it chilled for lunch with not much else other than bread, but you could serve it as a starter followed by a simple roast. The Lebanese tend to resist modernisation in the kitchen and many still crush garlic using a wooden pestle and mortar; some have now adopted a plastic version, but that is their only nod to modern times! I prefer to simplify my life and therefore use a metal garlic crusher, even if the pestle and mortar do a more thorough job, crushing the garlic into a creamy paste that dissolves into the soup, whereas the crusher just pulverises the garlic into tiny pieces that don’t emulsify with the liquid in quite the same way.
Serves 4–6
200g (7oz) large green lentils
400g (14oz) Swiss chard
Juice of 2 lemons or to taste
10 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
150ml (5fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Put the lentils in a bowl of water to soak while you prepare the Swiss chard, which you need to trim – the bottom of the stalks are often quite dirty and need to be cut off. Chop both leaves and stalks into thin strips about 1cm (½in) wide.
After they have soaked for about 30 minutes, drain the lentils and put in a large saucepan. Add 1.5 litres (2½ pints) of water and place over a medium-high heat. Bring to the boil then add the chard. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot with a lid and let it bubble gently for 15 minutes or until the chard has wilted, at which stage mix the chard in with the lentils and cook, covered, for another 30–45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
While the soup is cooking, prepare the seasoning by slowly incorporating the lemon juice into the crushed garlic, then gradually mixing in the olive oil. When the lentils and chard are done, stir the mixture into the soup. Season with a little salt and simmer, uncovered, for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve at room temperature.
Mini Dumplings and Meatballs Soup
MANTI CORBA
Most people in Turkey make their own manti (dumplings) but you can also buy them ready made. They will not be as delicate, nor will they be as small, which is the sign of the best manti, but they will be good and you will save considerable time preparing this satisfying soup that is often served at large family gatherings as the first of many courses. I was lucky enough to be invited one day to eat with the in-laws of my friend Nevin Halıcı. Her elder brother, Feyzi Bey, is married to a wonderful woman, Bahar, who comes from a family of fine cooks and whose sister Lale, who made the soup, is considered the best of them all. I have adapted her recipe below.
Serves 4
For the filling
125g (4½oz) minced lean lamb
1 very small onion or a shallot, finely chopped
2 tsp pepper paste
Sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
For the meatballs
250g (9oz) minced lamb meat
¼ tsp ground allspice
For the dough
75g (2½oz) plain flour
Sea salt
For the soup
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tbsp pepper paste
½ tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
½ tbsp dried mint
200g (7oz) cooked chickpeas (½ jar)
Juice of ½ lemon
15g (¾oz) unsalted butter
Put all ingredients for the filling in a bowl. Mix well.
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Gradually add 3 tablespoons water to make a rather stiff dough. Divide the dough into two and shape each into a ball. Roll the first piece into a very thin sheet, then cut into small squares about 3cm (1¼in) square for very small manti, or 6cm (2½in) square for larger ones. Put ¼ or ¾ teaspoon meat filling (depending on the size) in the middle of each square. Lift the corners of the square and stick together to shape a neat pouch. Repeat the process with the remaining dough until you have used all the dough and half the filling.
Mix the remaining filling with the meat. Add the ground allspice and salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Shape into the smallest balls you can make, like large marbles, in proportion to the size of your manti. Place on a tray. Cover loosely with cling film and refrigerate to firm them up.
Put the olive oil in a big pot and place over a medium heat. Add the pepper and tomato pastes, the black pepper and 1 teaspoon dried mint. Stir for a couple of minutes then add 750ml (1⅓ pints) water and salt to taste. Bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes before adding the cooked chickpeas, the manti and the meatballs. Add the lemon juice and let bubble for 20 minutes. Check the water and add a little more if you feel the soup is too thick – the manti will absorb some of it. Just before serving, melt the butter in a pan and add the remaining dried mint. Pour all over the soup and serve immediately.
Mixed Pulses and Grains Soup
MAKHLUTA
Here is an incredibly nourishing soup that we often had at my grandmother’s during Lent. She served it with a platter of pickles and bread, of course, and to start with we would have tabbuleh or a cabbage salad. I often prepare it for lunch and make enough to last a few days. Sometimes I flavour the soup with cumin, other times with cinnamon. I also alternate between using seven-spice mixture and allspice, depending on how spicy I want the soup to be; allspice gives it a more subtle taste while the seven-spice mixture makes for a stronger flavour. You can eat it hot in winter or just warm in the summer. It is both versatile and satisfying, and perfect for both vegetarians and vegans!
Serves 4–6
50g (2oz) dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in cold water (enough to cover the beans by 2–3 fingers) and ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g (2½oz) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water (enough to cover the chickpeas by 2–3 fingers) and ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g (5oz) brown lentils, soaked for 30 minutes in cold water (enough to cover the lentils by 2–3 fingers)
150ml (5fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and finely chopped
30g (1oz) coarse burghul, rinsed under cold water and drained
30g (1oz) short-grain white rice (bomba, Calasparra or Egyptian), rinsed under cold water and drained
2 tsp ground cinnamon or ground cumin
2 tsp ground allspice or Lebanese seven-spice mixture
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
Rinse the soaked beans and chickpeas under cold water, then drain and put in a large saucepan. Drain the lentils and add to the chickpeas and beans. Add 2.5 litres (4⅓ pints) of water, cover the pan with a lid and place over a medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and let the pot bubble gently, covered, for 1 hour or until the pulses are tender.
While the pulses are cooking, put the olive oil and chopped