Turkish Collard Green Soup
Collard greens cooked until tender in a Turkish soup with corn, beans, and Aleppo pepper oil. This soup recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberry or borlotti beans (see note for a canned option)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup double concentrated tomato paste
- 1 1/3 cups corn kernels, frozen, or from 2 ears fresh corn
- 1/2 pound collard greens, washed, rough stems removed, and coarsely chopped
- 6 cups hot water
- 1/4 cup fine cornmeal (see note)
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Aleppo Pepper Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper or 1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes; use less or more to your taste
Instructions
- Soften the beans. Soak the dried beans overnight or for 8 hours in plenty of cold water. Drain the beans, place in a large saucepan and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, then cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir often and skim off any foam forming on the top with a spoon. Drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water (to retain color and texture) and set aside in a bowl. They will be partially cooked and still firm, with a bite to them.
- Cook the veggies. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium–high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring often to soften. Stir in the tomato paste, sweet corn, and the beans, and combine well. Add the collard greens and hot water and bring to a boil. Gently stir in the collard greens as they start to soften. Season with salt and pepper, then cover, reduce the heat to medium–low, and cook for 15 minutes, gently mixing a few times.
- Thicken the soup. Place the cornmeal in a small bowl and add 3 ladlefuls of the soup liquid. Mix with a spoon until the flour is dissolved and the mixture smooth. Pour into the pan and gently combine well. Cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. This is a rustic soup but if it’s too thick for you, stir in a little more water.
- Make the Aleppo Pepper Sauce. While the soup simmers, heat the olive oil in a small pan over low heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper. Gently infuse for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Finish and serve. Pour the Aleppo pepper sauce over the soup and check the seasoning. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and Aleppo pepper used in this recipe.
- To use canned beans: This soup is best made with dried borlotti (cranberry) beans. But if pressed for time, you can use 2 (14 oz) cans of good-quality, pre-cooked and rinsed beans instead. Fold the beans into the soup before adding the corn flour to the pot.
- Fine cornmeal: Also called “maize flour” or “corn flour,” this is not the same as cornstarch.
- Make it ahead: You can make this ahead of time – the flavors settle and taste even better the next day.
Nutrition
Calories: 235.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.1g | Protein: 6.6g | Fat: 13.2g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.9g | Sodium: 232.1mg | Potassium: 491.4mg | Fiber: 7.5g | Sugar: 5.3g | Vitamin A: 2531.6IU | Vitamin C: 19.8mg | Calcium: 129.2mg | Iron: 1.9mg
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