If you crave a virtuous, nutritious soup, or you just want to make 300g of mince stretch a long way, you’ll love this Turkish-inspired number. It’s also great when you’re looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous veggie, barley and chicken (or ham) meal-in-a-bowl that turns up on kiwi tables in winter, although we don’t hate that rib-sticker either. 

The vibe of this soup is straight off the streets of Gaziantep in south eastern Anatolia, an historic city within cooee of the Syrian border. Even in the context of its geo location the cuisine is pretty distinctive; signature dishes include Antep kebab (where meats are carefully trimmed, marinated in spices then masterfully grilled over coals), lahmacun (crispy flatbreads baked with a spicy minced lamb topping), katmer (thin layers of yufka dough baked folded around an alluring pistachio and clotted cream filling), and intriguing, seasonal combinations such as malhıta kebabı, where chunks of lamb, beef or meatballs are used to stuff ripe loquats, then grilled on skewers or baked. Damn but the Gaziantepians know how to cook using coals! Coffee is even brewed in them here. (The best baklava and Künefe in the region is made here, BTW. YUM).

Ekşili köfte, the teeniest, tiniest meatballs you’ve ever seen, are another local feature; painstaking to roll , they’re served in various ways but a complex stew with meat chunks, chickpeas and a lemony sweet-sour broth spiked with dried mint, pepper paste, allspice and paprika, is typical. Food here is intrinsically healthy, (well, ok, maybe not the baklava although pistachios and other nuts are pretty nutritious, yes?), with neither meat nor vegetables nor grains dominating. Each is equally prominent and important and, most importantly, cooked so they’re delicious.

SERVES 4-6

220g (1 cup) chickpeas, soaked overnight then drained

1 bunch silverbeet

60ml (¼ cup) olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

2½ tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp Turkish pepper paste

2½ tsp dried oregano

1 fresh bayleaf

250g (1⅓ cups) brown lentils

2-2.25 litres (8-9 cups) chicken stock chicken stock

lemon wedges, yoghurt and dried chilli flakes, to serve

 Lamb köfte

90g (½ cup) fine burghul

50g (⅓ cup) plain flour

300g lamb mince

1 tbsp tomato paste

½ tsp each ground allspice, paprika and pul biber

Put the chickpeas in a saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour or until very tender. Drain well.

Meanwhile for the köfte, rinse the burghul, then drain well in a fine sieve, using your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine in a food processor with the remaining ingredients, season to taste, then process until the mixture is smooth and elastic. Alternatively, you can knead the mixture by hand until it is elastic and still a bit sticky. Take scant teaspoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on a baking paper-lined tray and refrigerate until ready to use.

Trim the silverbeet, reserving about half the stems. Finely chop the reserved stems. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the stems, onion and garlic, then cook, stirring, for 6-7 minutes until softened. Add the tomato and pepper pastes, oregano and bayleaf then cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the brown lentils and chicken stock, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then simmer for 50 minutes or until lentils are tender. Add the chickpeas and silverbeet, and bring back to a simmer, adding a little more stock or water if necessary. Gently stir in the köfte, then simmer for about 8 minutes or until the lamb is cooked through. Taste, then season the soup with salt and pepper. Serve with dried chilli flakes and lemon wedges, for squeezing over. 

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