This recipe
is a good example of what I would call nouvelle Turkish cuisine.
beautiful creamy cauliflower soup garnished with caramelised pear |
I get very excited when I see young Turkish chefs being adventurous with the marvellous fresh seasonal ingredients we get here: they are the very essence of all Turkish
dishes after all. Here we are on the brink of winter and the markets are all reflecting
this in their seasonal offerings: cauliflower is one as well as the very
special huge pears from which the garnish for this soup is made.
dishes after all. Here we are on the brink of winter and the markets are all reflecting
this in their seasonal offerings: cauliflower is one as well as the very
special huge pears from which the garnish for this soup is made.
believe me, they are huge! |
Traditional
Turkish soups are not dinner party fare
as they are far too hearty, consisting as they do of grains and perhaps a few seasonal
vegetables, suitable for warming the cockles of shepherds on cold hillsides. This soup could
be filling if you ladled too much into the bowl but it’s delightfully delicate and virginally white
while the garnish of deveci armut or deveci pear, sautéed
in butter and üzüm pekmezi/grape molasses – widely available commercially from supermarkets or home-made from local markets – is inspired.
Turkish soups are not dinner party fare
as they are far too hearty, consisting as they do of grains and perhaps a few seasonal
vegetables, suitable for warming the cockles of shepherds on cold hillsides. This soup could
be filling if you ladled too much into the bowl but it’s delightfully delicate and virginally white
while the garnish of deveci armut or deveci pear, sautéed
in butter and üzüm pekmezi/grape molasses – widely available commercially from supermarkets or home-made from local markets – is inspired.
This recipe
is from a truly beautiful cookbook called ‘Aegean Flavours: a culinary
celebration of the Aegean region’s local markets and produce’ by Didem
Şenol. The photographs are terrific and her serving ideas creative. The
book is so beautiful, you could easily give it as a wedding present! I bought my own copy (English)
from her restaurant Lokanta Maya in Karaköy, Istanbul for
50TL. For some reason, the Turkish edition costs 75TL.
is from a truly beautiful cookbook called ‘Aegean Flavours: a culinary
celebration of the Aegean region’s local markets and produce’ by Didem
Şenol. The photographs are terrific and her serving ideas creative. The
book is so beautiful, you could easily give it as a wedding present! I bought my own copy (English)
from her restaurant Lokanta Maya in Karaköy, Istanbul for
50TL. For some reason, the Turkish edition costs 75TL.
As with all
homemade soups, the secret to success is consistency. Making them is easy but
the trick lies in serving them not too thick, not too watery. Stir, stir, stir
is my message here! Good thoughtful seasoning is also key. How much salt, how
much pepper, taste and adjust accordingly ….
homemade soups, the secret to success is consistency. Making them is easy but
the trick lies in serving them not too thick, not too watery. Stir, stir, stir
is my message here! Good thoughtful seasoning is also key. How much salt, how
much pepper, taste and adjust accordingly ….
So the
garnish here consists of one chopped Deveci (pron: devedji) pear. I
always thought this meant one giant pear as dev in Turkish means giant and believe
me, these pears are colossal.
garnish here consists of one chopped Deveci (pron: devedji) pear. I
always thought this meant one giant pear as dev in Turkish means giant and believe
me, these pears are colossal.
one chopped deveci pear
But no, I was wrong: there actually was
someone called Lütfi Deveci, originally from Samsun by the Black Sea, who had
devoted his life to agriculture, and successfully grafted Italian and French
pears onto a tree that he saw in the Alaçati area near Izmir in 1960. He
came up with pears weighing a massive 1 – 1.5 kilos each. Mine weighed a mere
400g! Apparently many of these pears are exported and still grown in the area
around Alaçati. Here, one of them makes a lovely contrast with the
super-smooth soup in every way: taste, colour and texture.
someone called Lütfi Deveci, originally from Samsun by the Black Sea, who had
devoted his life to agriculture, and successfully grafted Italian and French
pears onto a tree that he saw in the Alaçati area near Izmir in 1960. He
came up with pears weighing a massive 1 – 1.5 kilos each. Mine weighed a mere
400g! Apparently many of these pears are exported and still grown in the area
around Alaçati. Here, one of them makes a lovely contrast with the
super-smooth soup in every way: taste, colour and texture.
Ingredients for Cauliflower Soup with Caramelised Pear
4 servings
1 onion
1 medium cauliflower/karnıbahar
500 ml/18fl oz cream – I used 2 of those little packets=400 ml
300 ml/10fl oz milk
1 bay leaf/defne yaprağı
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
1 Deveci pear/armut or other large pear
20g/1 oz granulated sugar
20g/1 oz butter
10ml/1/2fl oz üzüm pekmezi or dark molasses (optional)
Method
·
Chop
the onion and separate the cauliflower into florets. Add both to a large
saucepan with the cream, milk, bay leaf, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Chop
the onion and separate the cauliflower into florets. Add both to a large
saucepan with the cream, milk, bay leaf, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
·
Simmer
on a low heat for about 20 mins or until the cauliflower is soft. Purée the
vegetables with a stick blender, adding more water if necessary.
Simmer
on a low heat for about 20 mins or until the cauliflower is soft. Purée the
vegetables with a stick blender, adding more water if necessary.
For the garnish:
·
Peel
and cut the pear into cubes.
Peel
and cut the pear into cubes.
·
Sauté
in the butter and sugar in a non-stick pan until brown. Add the pekmez
or molasses if you want a stronger flavour. I RECOMMEND THIS.
Sauté
in the butter and sugar in a non-stick pan until brown. Add the pekmez
or molasses if you want a stronger flavour. I RECOMMEND THIS.
·
Spoon
on top of each serving of soup.
Spoon
on top of each serving of soup.
like this …
Afiyet olsun!
Hi Claudia. I've just come back from market with another huge cauliflower so this recipe is just what I need. Sounds delicious!
Hey Ayak! So nice to hear from you1 I've missed you! Don't use all that cauliflower, it'll be just too much. I know these Turkish caulis ….
hi claudia! i am about to leave for the grocery store and i am buying the ingredients for this soup. my husband loves pears so he will devour this! thanks for another wonderful recipe! joyce
Hello Joyce! I have been trying to comment on your last 2 posts but no success. Blogger is really playing up on me these days. But do know that I love your recipes and posts. Enjoy this one!
That's supper sorted tonight. Thanks for explaining the Deveci pears – I've never understood why the pears were "camel owners. " Now I know it's a surname – all is clear.
:))
Hi Claudia
Thanks for the recipe. Zoe loves cooking soup, so this will be great. Once again thank you for a brilliant tour of Istanbul's street food, we certainly ate and drank things we wouldn't eat normally.
Zoe, Alison, Colin, Nigel
The mad Welsh people
😉
Hey hello! It's you! What a pleasure it was to have you on the walk the other day!I am so glad you enjoyed it all :)Welcome to my blog although this recipe is not traditionally Turkish. Still, it is using seasonal ingredients ….Do come back!
Merhaba Claudia,
Just read Barbara's gorgeous fennel and cawliflower soup and now your delicious one, will stock up on cawliflowers to make the most of these yummy recipes! Thanks for the mention of Aegean Flavours book, sounds really interesting – must get a copy in Feb!
xx ozlem
I think you will love it! Can't wait for you to come in Feb! xx
I LOVE this soup!! cauliflower and pear is SUCH a fabulous combinaton – I so looking foward to trying this!
Mary x
Hello Mary! So lovely to hear from you -thanks for this! I also think this is a great combo – or unusual shall I say ….
Wow it looks really nice I have to try it 🙂 Thank you Claudia.
Arton
Ask ve Ceza
This sounds delicious….going to the supermarket tomorrow and will pick up a cauliflower and make this soup this weekend….because it is quite chilly here and this looks like it will warm us up. Love the pears…..never had that combo before.
Thanks for sharing…:-)