My friend Nur is is a master chef in the kitchen. She is from the Black Sea region of Turkey. I have tasted many great dishes for the first time at her house. This morning we got together at another friend’s house and she taught us how to cook a few of her Black Sea specialties. Here’s the first one: Collared greens soup with corn and beans. It was easy to make. Though it is a vegan soup, it tasted like it was cooked with some kind of broth. It is a hearty, very nutritious and a very tasty soup. Hope you enjoy it too.

Wash collard greens. Cut leaves lengthwise in the middle. Do not remove the stems.Then cut the leaves and stems in ½ in thick slices. Set aside in a large bowl. If you are using frozen corn, rinse and drain and add to the greens in the bowl. Peel the potato. Cut it into small cubes.

Place oil in a pot. Add onion and sauté them for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add potatoes, continue sautéing while stirring gently for another 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, mix it in with a spoon. Add collard greens and corn to the pot. Mix all vegetables with a spoon. Add boiling water, salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and let it simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add more boiling water if necessary. Add the beans to the soup, let it simmer over medium low heat until collard greens are tender, about another 20 minutes. Remove from heat, serve hot.