Pumpkin (balkabağı) is enjoyed in savoury and sweet dishes at home. While it can be combined with yoghurt or with pomegranate molasses in the south for savoury meals (for example, Adesiye, page 143), it is cooked with chestnuts in the north. The city of Zonguldak in the Black Sea region grows some of the finest chestnuts and this soup
is a Zonguldak specialty. The sweetness of the pumpkin and onions works beautifully with the earthy chestnuts. Locals would also add the region’s creamy manda sütü (water buffalo’s milk) to the soup – full-fat milk works well as a substitute although you can use single (light) cream for a creamier taste. You can use butternut squash instead of pumpkin, too.
Serving suggestion:
Serve with Mısır Ekmeği to complement this delicious soup.
Serves:
4
Ingrediants
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 825 g (1 lb 13 oz) deseeded and peeled pumpkin, sliced into 1 cm (½ in) chunks
- 255 g (9 oz) peeled, cooked chestnuts, quartered
- 510 ml (18 fl oz/generous 2 cups) vegetable stock
- 510 ml (18 fl oz/generous 2 cups) water
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 140 ml (5 fl oz/scant ⅔ cup) full-fat milk (or a plant-based alternative)
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped, to serve
For The Sautéed Chestnuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil
- 80 g (3 oz) peeled, cooked
- chestnuts, diced into small bites
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over a medium heat, add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the pumpkin pieces and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the chestnuts, pour in the vegetable stock and water, then season with salt and pepper, and combine well. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 12–15 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked.
Purée the soup in a blender and pour back into the pan, add the milk and bring back to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Seasoning is important – check and add more salt and pepper to your taste.
FOR THE SAUTÉED CHESTNUTS, heat the oil in a small sauté pan over a medium heat, add the chestnuts and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the soup warm with the sautéed chestnuts and chopped parsley sprinkled over.
Recipe extracted from Sebze: Vegetarian Recipes from My Turkish Kitchen by Özlem Warren
Published by Hardie Grant Books | Photography by Sam A Harris
