Mercimek Çorbası

Pick over the lentils for small stones, then rinse them in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs almost clear. Drain. Peel the onion and carrot and chop them roughly into pieces of about 2 cm. They are blended later, so neat cutting is unnecessary, but pieces of an even size soften at the same speed.

• red lentil200 g
• onion1
• carrot1

Put the lentils, onion, carrot and tomato paste in a large pot with 1.2 litres of water. Bring to the boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have broken down and the carrot is completely soft. Add a little hot water if the soup thickens too much.

• red lentil200 g
• onion1
• carrot1
• tomato paste1 tbsp
• water1.2 L

Blend the soup in the pot with a stick blender until completely smooth, or in batches in a jug blender, filling it no more than half with hot soup. The texture should be thick but pourable, like a thin cream. Thin it with hot water to your liking, season with salt and bring it back to a gentle simmer.

• saltto taste

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until it begins to foam. Take it off the heat, stir in the dried mint and pul biber and leave for 15 seconds, so the spices release their flavour without burning. Pour the sizzling butter over the soup, or into each bowl as it is served. Serve at once with lemon wedges for squeezing.

• butter40 g
• dried mint1 tsp
• pul biber1 tsp
• lemon1