Wintery tarhana soup

Mountain people know what to do how to keep their food forever: they ferment and dry. Like this tarhana, dried wheat and dairy fermented to keep forever. It’s really lovely comforting and tart in a winter soup like this.

Serves 2

2 leeks
3 onions
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
dried mint
cumin
cinnamon
4 pieces of Tarhana (local Turkish or Middle Eastern shop) or substitute with 150 g of wheat kernels
1 liter of water or chicken stock
Greek yoghurt, to serve
Aleppo pepper

 Chop the leeks, onions and garlic. Reserve half of the onions. Saute the rest with some olive oil until soft and sweet in 15 mins. Add the dried mint, cumin, and cinnamon to taste, the Tarhana and 1 liter of water or chicken stock and some salt. Bring to the boil and leave on low fire for 15-20 min. Fry the rest of the onions until golden. Serve with a generous dollop of yoghurt, some golden onions, dried mint, and Aleppo pepper.