T.G.I.T.F.F.- Turkish Triple Onion Soup/ Türkçe Soğan Çorba

A few weeks ago, K and I were both feeling under the weather so I whipped up this soup.



Along with being a mood panacea, I believe consuming as many onions and garlic as you can helps boost the immune system when you're feeling sick. While not a traditional Turkish dish, it was created IN TURKEY, so technically it is Turkish. But I hope its healing powers are universal. I've made it three times now and it's made us feel better, even if just to combat the colder weather.

Serving Size: 2

INGREDIENTS
The amounts are catered to my love of garlic and onions as well as an estimation of what would fit in my smallish pot so feel free to add or substitute where you see fit. This recipe is very flexible.

1 bulb of garlic sarmısak
3-4 white/yellow/red onions soğan
shallots soğancık (however many you want and can afford. they're a little smaller here and really inexpensive so I use about 10)
5-6 stems green onions yeşil soğan



2-3 carrots havuç
1/2 LB or 1 kilo button mushrooms mantar
1 tsp each of your choice dry herbs ot or 2-3 tsp fresh herbs. I used dry oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme
2 bay leaves
3 Tbs olive oil zeytin yağ
3 Tbs unsalted butter terayği
salt toz and black pepper kara biber
6C stock/broth OR 6C water/su+2 boullion cubes bulyon
French bread loaf, sliced into rounds optional
Grated white cheese ( swiss, mozarrella, parmesean) optional

Other veggies that would be yummy to include would be leeks, celery, zucchini, or eggplant. I prefer keeping it down to a few vegetables though since the onions are the stars of the soup.

PREP
Mince garlic and set aside for at least 15 minutes (very important to do, since according to this article, garlic needs to sit for at least 15 minutes to maximize health benefits). Slice white/yellow/red onions into 1/4" thick half moon slices and shallots into 1/8" circles. Chop green onions and separate into three piles. I separate them because I like to add the first pile for initial flavor but since they lose their color so quickly I like to reserve the other piles to add later for brighter color. I also think adding them at different times adds more complex flavor.

Chop up rest of vegetables into 1/4" thick pieces.



COOK
Melt butter, olive oil in medium size stock pot over medium heat. Once butter begins to bubble a bit, turn heat to medium low and add white/yellow onions, shallots, garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 10 mins. Add herbs, salt, pepper and cook until fragrant.
Stir in carrots, green onion pile 1 and cook until relatively soft, about 5 mins.
Add mushrooms, cook until relatively soft, about 3 mins.
At this point there should be a decent amount of liquid on the bottom where all those delicious flavors are stewing. Add stock/water+bullion as well as the bay leaves.
Bring soup to a boil and then turn down to simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding green onion pile 2 halfway through simmering. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Remove bay leaves, Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle final pile of green onions on top.

To take the soup to the next level, toast french bread rounds with your favorite grated melty white cheese in the oven to make cheesy croutons. We use kaşarli peynir, a turkish white cheese that is very similar to mozzarella in texture and swiss cheese in taste. Place on top of soup and enjoy a taste of Turkey!



If anyone makes it, let me know how it turns out!