Oleana Yogurt Soup If you're in a hurry and you want something really comforting, really fast, just skip the dumpling part and add a little more pasta. Sometimes I toss in some shredded lamb or shredded chicken. This is rich, warm, cold-day soup. It's addicting! 6 c. cubed bread (1 baguette, crust trimmed, torn or cut into pieces) 1 c. milk 1/2 c. olive oil plus extra for garnish 1/2 small white onion, minced 1 lb. spinach, cleaned and stemmed Salt and black pepper 1 egg 1/2 c. feta cheese 1 ¼ lbs. coils of angel-hair vermicelli 8 c. good-quality chicken broth 3 c. Old Chatham plain yogurt (or any Greek yogurt) 3 egg yolks 2 T. flour 1 T. dried mint Pinch of cayenne 2 T. sumac (at Middle Eastern markets), optional Toss the bread cubes in the milk and let sit for 10 minutes. In a large skillet, heat half the oil. Add the onion. Cook over medium-low heat until onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook until soft and tender, about 7 minutes more. Season to taste. Place the spinach in a sieve to drain. Meanwhile, squeeze out excess milk from the bread, little by little, and discard milk. When spinach has cooled, press it into sieve (or between your hands) and try to extract as much juice as possible. In a food processor, puree the spinach. Add the bread, egg and feta cheese and process until it comes together like dough. Place in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. With floured hands, shape into small round, marble-sized dumplings. Crush the coils of angel hair pasta with your hands into 1/2-inch-long pieces. In a large soup pot, warm the remaining 1/4 c. olive oil. Add the broken pasta and stir to coat with a wooden spoon. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until pasta is golden brown. Add broth and simmer until pasta is cooked. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, egg yolks, flour, dried mint and cayenne, and whisk until smooth. Ladle a cup of the hot soup into the yogurt mixture, whisking until combined. Add yogurt mixture to the soup pot, whisking for about 5 minutes until the soup starts to simmer. Add dumplings and continue to gently simmer another 10 minutes. Be careful not to boil. Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sumac. Makes 10-12 servings. By Chef and Owner Ana Sortun, "Oleana" restaurant, Cambridge, Massachussetts middle eastern recipe index christina m k al-sudairy buy the book!