Soup and a story for the homesick
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Hello, myth-makers! How have you been? Can you believe how far we are into 2026 and I haven’t written an email since… December? January? (Truth be told, I’ve actually written a few out and just haven’t finished or sent them *cries*.) You signed up for stories, and I advertised stories, and I want to honour that commitment, so here we go. One email at a time. Welcome back to the Campfire, my friends. The thing is, so much has happened since I last wrote to you. I’ve changed careers, moved houses, and taken a small step closer to a big dream. I’ll share more in future emails, but today's important update is that Ballads of Beyond Season Two is officially out and ready for your bingeing! The Thief in the Mirror follows a Victorian gentleman thief and his accidental off-world ward as they race around worlds, stopping a heist to steal time. There is far too much world-hopping, many timey-wimey shenanigans, and even a sneaky An Experiment In Time And Memory cameo just for fun. >:) After we finished the season, we interviewed Hadassah Waugh for a special BONUS episode, covering all things plotting and outlining! This was super helpful, especially as Beks and I wept our way through plotting season two, and have just begun planning plan season three (thankfully with less weeping). Our new outline has come together easily enough that we had plenty of time to brainstorm Wild West x Vampire tropes to our hearts content. If you (like me) hate plotting and can never quite seem to make all the sections make sense, I will encourage you to have a listen, and see if Hadassah can help you. <3
(Guess who only just realised she forgot to post the episode on Spotify oops) Now that my shameless advertising is over, I can introduce you to the protagonist of today's story: the wonderful Ezo the Bride. I encountered the story of Ezo the Bride in a Turkish recipe book I borrowed from the library. (I like borrowing recipe books from different cuisines because I can’t afford to eat at that many restaurants XD.) I wasn’t looking for a legend to share, but it turns out that Ezo the Bride’s Red Lentil Soup is both very popular in Turkish kebab shops, and inextricably linked to its namesake. Apparently, every time you find a recipe for this red lentil soup, you’ll hear the story of Ezo the Bride (AKA Zöhre Bozgeyik), a real woman from early 20th Century Turkiye. Ezo was born in the town of Dokuzyal, which lay on a popular trade route. As camel drivers came through the town, the beautiful young Ezo would serve them water and strike up a conversation. She became popular and even highly-sought after by these traders. But at the age of twenty, her family organised for her to marry through a berdel, or bride-swap system. (To my understanding, this system meant that families would swap one daughter for another to avoid paying a dowry.) Ezo's husband rejected her for another woman, which was understandably hard on anyone, let alone a beautiful young woman used to love and affection. After an unhappy year, she divorced her husband and moved back to her family. After six years, she was remarried, again through a bride swap, (this time to her cousin) and went to live with him and his family in Syria. At the same time, the Turkish republic was founded, and the border ran between Ezo’s new home and her homeland. She stayed in Syria and raised her family, but felt constantly homesick for her family and home across the border. Some stories add that her husband’s mother was impossible to please, which spurred Ezo came up with this economical but tasty soup. Ezo passed away at the age of forty-six and was buried, as per her request, in a hillside overlooking her beautiful village. Her story was immortalised in poetry, film and popular folk stories, and her name was given to the delicious red lentil soup. I tried making the soup, and can confirm, it’s a winner! It’s warming, comforting, light, and I often crave it now when I’m unwell or homesick. Making this spicy, thick, warm soup from scratch makes me feel connected to a world and past that is so much bigger than me, and somehow that feels like self-care. (Note that, as with many traditional recipes, you can generally adapt it to your own tastes/what you have in the kitchen without ruining it. My general rule when trying new cuisines is to not overthink a recipe that has survived/was invented during a famine.) Ezo the Bride’s Red Lentil Soup (Ezo Gelin çorbasi)Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped 20 g (¾ oz/1 tbsp) butter 2½ tbsp Turkish tomato paste or concentrated tomato puree (paste) 1 tsp sweet paprika 200 g (7 oz/generous cup) red lentils, picked over and rinsed 2½ tbsp fine burghul (bulgur) wheat (optional) 1.2 litre (40 fl oz/5 cups) chicken or vegetable stock salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp dried mint (or less to taste) to serve chilli flakes to serve lemon wedges to serve
Method:
- Slowly soften the garlic and onion in the butter over a low heat until translucent.
- Add the tomato paste and paprika and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Then add the lentils, burghul (if using) and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Once the lentils are soft and beginning to fall apart, take off the heat and blitz in a blender until fairly smooth. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve sprinkled with a light dusting of dried mint, chilli flakes and a squeeze of lemon.
Cook’s Notes:
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Recipe taken from: Istanbul: Recipes From the Heart of Turkey, Rebecca Seal (Hardie Grant) Do you have rituals, like a food to cook or a film to watch, when you feel homesick? Or, do you have any stories connected to certain meals? Next week I’ll fill you in on what’s going on in my career change and house move; where I’ve been and where I’m going. Until next time! <3 Debbie
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References: I originally found the story in the recipe cookbook Istanbul: Recipes from the Heart of Turkey, as referenced above. Other references: (These all contain different interpretations of the story and variations on the recipe. Nevertheless, any errors in the story are my own.)
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