How to Make Turkish Tomato Soup

Whether you're looking for a creative twist on tomato soup or you need an appetizer to start off a traditional Turkish meal, this recipe is likely to satisfy. This is also a unique way to enjoy fresh domates (tomatoes) on a cool, summer night.

Ingredients

6-7 large tomatoes
1 white onion
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of oregano
Pinch of sugar
4 small bunches of parsley (flat leaf preferred)
1 bay leaf
3 cups of chicken broth/stock
Butter
1 teaspoon flour
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

Steps

1
Slice the tomatoes and chop the parsley into very small pieces. Combine with the oregano, sugar, nutmeg, ¹⁄₂ tablespoon (7.4 ml) pepper and the bay leaf.
2
Chop the onion into small pieces and sauté on medium high heat with butter in a pan until they are brown/yellow. If you find that your butter is burning you may add a bit of oil (canola or olive- not extra virgin olive oil however) to raise the smoke point of the fats.
3
Add all the ingredients of step one to the fried onion.
4
Mix thoroughly and fry for approximately fifteen minutes on half heat, until tomatoes are soft.
5
While you wait for the tomatoes to soften, heat up three cups of chicken broth/stock.
6
When the tomato mixture is soft, add the chicken broth/stock and stir well.
7
Put the lid on the pan and cook the mixture of tomatoes and chicken broth for about ten minutes.
8
Take the pan off the heat, discard the bay leaf, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until there are no chunks of tomato left.
9
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a big pan.
10
Add teaspoon of flour and stir it well to make a roux - this will melt in the soup and thicken it. For optimal results cook the roux until it reaches a medium golden brown color.
- The more you cook a roux, the less thickening power it will have. It will also give it a stronger, almost nutty taste.
11
Slowly pour the soup into the pan with the butter and flour.
12
Add the whipping cream. Last add salt to taste.
13
Heat the soup on the stove and serve.