If wedding soup is the richest of the thickened soups, it owes that to the lamb. Simmering the meat takes a long time but the body of the soup comes from there. There is no yoghurt in the thickening, only egg yolk and lemon, which is why the flavour is sharper and lighter than yayla soup.
Ingredients
For the beef stock
For the soup
For the egg-lemon thickening
For the top
Method
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Simmer the meat
Bring the diced lamb up to the boil in cold water and skim it. Add the onion and cook gently for 70 minutes, until the meat is falling apart.
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Separate the stock
Lift out the meat with a slotted spoon and measure the stock. If there is less than 6 cups, top it up with hot water. Discard the onion.
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Make a roux
In a clean pan, melt the butter, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes until the smell changes.
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Add the stock
Pour the hot stock into the roux a little at a time, whisking. Simmer for 10 minutes with no lumps left.
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Make the tempering mixture
Whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice. Warm the mixture by slowly whisking in a few ladles of the hot soup.
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Combine
Pour the mixture into the pan, stirring, and return the meat. Bring it to the point of boiling and turn off the heat; keep boiling and the egg will split.
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Pour over the butter
Melt the butter, stir in the paprika and drizzle it over the bowls to serve.
Tips
- Do not let the soup boil hard once the tempering mixture is in. A gentle bubble is enough; anything more splits the egg.
- Put the lemon into the tempering mixture, not into the pan separately. Going in with the egg, the acid spreads evenly.
- You can make the stock a day ahead; the soup then becomes a 25 minute job.
- If you use beef instead of lamb, add 20 minutes to the simmering time.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.