Spicy Beef Wedding Soup (Dugun Corbasi)

In the old days, wedding celebrations in Turkey lasted forty days and forty nights. Today, they have been compressed to three at the most, with lots of gift giving and henna painting, but many are just overnight celebrations at a local hotel. This hearty soup is traditionally served after the ceremony, beginning the banquet. From An Exaltation Of Soups Cookbook

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 2  lbs boneless lamb (mutton is traditional, but lamb is really much better) or 2  lbs boneless beef roast, finely diced, otherwise finely ground (mutton is traditional, but lamb is really much better)
• 2  carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2  medium onions, finely chopped
• 8  cups  beef stock
• 4  egg yolks
• 1  lemon, juice of

• GARNISH

•  bread, for 32 small crouton
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  tablespoon paprika
•  cayenne pepper
•  ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Cut 32 cubes of bread and make them into croutons for the garnish by toasting them in a 350 degree oven until they are dry and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Melt the butter over low heat in a large soup pot, then add the meat, carrots, and onions and saute for 10 minutes.
3. Gradually stir in the stock, scraping up any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.
5. Remove the soup from the heat.
6. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl, then beat the lemon juice into them and slowly stir into the soup.
7. Cover the soup and let it rest while you finalize the soup garnishes.
8. In a small skillet, heat the butter and quickly saute the paprika and cayenne in it.
9. Take off the heat immediately.
10. Ladle the soup into bowls.
11. Then, swirl scant teaspoons of the.
12. paprika seasoning equally into the individual bowls.
13. Top each portion with croutons and a dusting of cinnamon.