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Erzurum Kesme Aşı Çorbası
An Erzurum household soup of whole green lentils, hand-cut egg noodles and small beef meatballs, finished with onion and tarragon butter.
Rinse the lentils and soak in water for 30 minutes, then drain. Add fresh water and simmer until tender. While they cook, prepare the dough.
Combine the egg, dough water and dough salt, adding flour gradually until you have a firm dough. Keep some flour for rolling. On a floured surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin into a sheet as thick as the back of a knife blade, on the thicker side. Flour it well, fold or roll it up loosely and slice into narrow noodles. Spread on a floured tray.
Knead the ground beef lightly with its table salt. Shape into small, hazelnut-sized meatballs.
Add the measured hot soup water and soup salt to the lentil pot and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and meatballs and simmer until the noodles are tender and the meatballs are cooked through. Loosen with hot water if the soup is too thick.
Meanwhile, cook the chopped onions in the butter until golden. Add the dried tarragon and warm briefly. Stir in the paprika, remove from the heat and spoon over the soup. Serve hot.
Serve with fresh bread and turşu.
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