Yogurt Soup with Orzo and Chickpeas
Fragrant with saffron and mint, this simple soup — adapted from Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean — can be quickly pulled together from ingredients you might just have on hand. For something so simple, it’s pretty beguiling. Roden found inspiration for the recipe at a dinner in Istanbul celebrating UNESCO’s adoption of the Turkish city of Gaziantep as a Creative City for its gastronomy.
Roden’s recipe calls for saffron or turmeric; we tested it with saffron.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
1/4 cup / 50 grams orzo
3 cups / 720 ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1 cup / 240 grams Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 good pinch saffron threads, or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup / 120 grams canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil for serving
Sumac for serving
Aleppo pepper for serving
Instructions
1. Cook the orzo in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until done, and then drain. At the same time, bring the stock to boil in a separate medium pan.
2. In a medium bow, 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 a few grinds of black pepper.
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, to taste.
4. A few minutes before serving, mix the cooked orzo into the soup. Serve with olive oil, sumac and Aleppo pepper for people to sprinkle on the soup if they want to.
Yogurt Soup with Orzo and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup / 50 grams orzo
- 3 cups / 720 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup / 240 grams Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 good pinch saffron threads, or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup / 120 grams canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil for serving
- Sumac for serving
- Aleppo pepper for serving
Instructions
- Cook the orzo in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until done, and then drain. At the same time, bring the stock to boil in a separate medium pan.
- In a medium bow, 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 a few grinds of black pepper.
- 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, to taste.
- 4A few minutes before serving, mix the cooked orzo into the soup. Serve with olive oil, sumac and Aleppo pepper for people to sprinkle on the soup if they want to.
