Salads Classic and Modern
An oasis between dramatic tufa stone hills in the Rose Valley, Cappadocia
One afternoon, while hiking through the Rose Valley in Cappadocia, we found paradise. Apple trees hung heavy with fruit and grapes grew fat on well-tended vines. Further on, arugula and lettuces sprouted between rows of beets, their deep purple roots mounding in the soil next to squat cucumbers climbing up trellises. Above, we saw the remains of Greek homes and churches carved into soft volcanic tufa stone. We climbed further to get a better look at small dovecotes where bird droppings are gathered and used as fertilizer. A brief afternoon shower sent us scurrying into one of the cave houses, but it soon gave way to a sky so blue and warm, we could almost see the fruits and vegetables ripening in front of us.
Later, we stopped at a roadside restaurant and ordered a platter of orange slices topped with thinly sliced sweet onions drizzled with a buttery olive oil and studded with salt-cured olives.
Salads appear at nearly every meal in Turkey, and are frequently served as part of a meze table. We like to serve simple dishes, such as Melon with Feta, Mint and Pomegranate or Grilled Romaine with Anchovy Vinaigrette and String Cheese, as starters. Peas and Carrots Salad with Artichoke Hearts, an Ottoman classic, is a celebration of spring, and a colorful addition to a luncheon or barbecue, especially during that brief season when fresh peas are available.
Shepherd’s Salad
SERVES 4 TO 6
One summer the two of us managed a charmingly ramshackle hotel—its porch sagging under a cascade of overgrown magenta bougainvillea—called the Sun Pension in Kalkan, a tourist town on the Mediterranean. The tourist trade was slow that year, and we spent many afternoons taking the short ferry ride to Lycia Beach, a snack bar and swimming platform tucked into cliffs at the edge of the harbor. For lunch, we ate this refreshing salad every day, as did everyone around us, accompanied by amber bottles of Efes beer and French fries served with mustard.
Mingling ingredients that grow well and are widely available in Turkey—cucumbers, native to Asia, tomatoes from the Americas and scallions or green onions originating in western Europe—shepherd’s salad is the country’s most ubiquitous cold vegetable dish. Without the onion, it’s a traditional Israeli salad; add some feta and olives, and it skews Greek. Despite the fact that it shows up with regularity as a meze or alongside a simple grilled fish, it never fails to refresh and beguile.
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch (25-mm) dice
2 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1-inch (25-mm) dice, juice reserved
1/2 cup (30 g) chopped scallion greens, coarsely chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (25 g) coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Put the cucumbers in a shallow bowl. Top with the tomatoes and their juice. Scatter the scallion greens over the tomatoes and add salt to taste.
The salad is best when eaten soon after it has been prepared. Just before serving, dress with lemon juice and olive oil, top with the chopped parsley and toss to combine.
Butter Lettuce Salad with Yogurt Dressing and Pomegranate
SERVES 4 TO 6
Native to Iran and northeastern Turkey, pomegranates are indispensable in the Turkish kitchen. The seeds are eaten out of hand, and fresh juice is sold from street carts during the fall when the fruits are in season. Rare is the salad or vegetable dish whose appeal is not heightened by the addition of juicy sweet and sour pomegranate seeds.
We especially enjoy this salad as a bright counterpoint to Lamb Kleftico, Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon and Dill-Stuffed Whole Fish Baked in Salt.
1/2 cup (120 ml) plain yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 medium heads butter lettuce
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and tahini until smooth. Continue whisking while adding the lemon juice and salt. Taste to adjust seasonings.
Rinse the lettuce under cool water and dry thoroughly on a kitchen towel or in a salad spinner. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces, reserving 6 to 8 whole leaves. Line a bowl or serving plate with the whole lettuce leaves. Pile the remaining lettuce on top.
Drizzle the yogurt dressing over the lettuce and garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
Note: Pomegranates are in season in the United States from October through February. If you can’t find the fresh fruit (or prepackaged pomegranate seeds), sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac over the salad. It will provide a bit of color and a tart accent.
◁ Grilled Romaine with Anchovy Vinaigrette and String Cheese
SERVES 6
Romaine lettuce has been cultivated for five thousand years and was known to the Romans as Cappadocian lettuce, named for the volcanic region of central Turkey with rich agricultural soil. Grilling adds a nice char to the greens while the tender interior leaves provide textural balance. Armenian string cheese (tel banir) from eastern Turkey is mild and salty, its fine strands available plain or studded with nigella seeds and then twisted into a braid. You may also find string cheese flavored with mahleb, an aromatic spice derived from a species of cherry, or with red pepper flakes. If using cheese with red pepper flakes, omit the Aleppo pepper.
FOR THE ANCHOVY VINAIGRETTE
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice (from 1 or 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup (158 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 heads romaine lettuce
Vegetable oil, for brushing the grill
Flaky sea salt
Aleppo pepper
1 cup (113 g) shredded Armenian string cheese
In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, anchovy paste and salt. Continue whisking while slowly adding the olive oil until the mixture is combined.
Pull the tough outer leaves from the lettuce heads. Trim the base of each head, making sure the remaining lettuce leaves stay attached to the stem. Cut each lettuce head in half lengthwise. Wash the lettuce and dry it well. Brush the cut sides with vegetable oil.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium. Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Lay the lettuce, cut side down, on the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the lettuce and cook the leafy side for 2 minutes. Turn the lettuce back to cut side and grill for 1 minute more.
Arrange the lettuce halves on a platter in a single layer. Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and Aleppo pepper. Scatter the string cheese evenly over the lettuce and serve.
Arugula and Fennel Tulip Salad with Orange and Radish
SERVES 4 TO 6
Native to central Asia and Persia, cultivated in Anatolia and propagated with unrivaled success by the Dutch, the lale, or tulip—particularly in the color red—is a symbol of love and beauty throughout Turkey. Live tulip plantings fill both public and private gardens and their image appears often on pottery, tiles and woven into carpets. While making this salad—which pairs bitter arugula with the licorice crunch of fennel, both native to Turkey—we noticed that if we cut a fennel bulb in half and cut those halves into thin slices, they reminded us of the feathery, light-filled tulips we’ve seen blooming in the gardens of Gülhane Park that links the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia.
This composed salad has layers of color and taste, from the peppery arugula and radish to the sweet citrus and sharp fennel. It makes a beautiful first course, and can also accompany Circassian Chicken or Rasim’s Crispy Kalamar with Tarator Sauce.
4 cups (80 g) arugula, rinsed and dried
1 medium navel orange
1 medium fennel bulb
2 medium radishes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small lemon, halved
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Put the arugula in a wide, shallow serving bowl.
Use a sharp knife to remove the orange peel and white pith. Cut the orange in half lengthwise. Slice each half crosswise to create thin half-moons. Arrange the orange slices over the arugula in a garland near the rim of the serving plate, curved side out.
Remove the tops from the fennel bulb, reserving them for stock if desired, and slice off any stem. With a paring knife, cut out about 1/2 inch (13 mm) of the core from the bottom. If the outer layer of the fennel is tough, peel with a vegetable peeler. Slice the fennel bulb in half. Lay the bulb cut side down on a clean work surface and slice very thinly lengthwise. The fennel slices should look like lacy tulips. Arrange the fennel in slices over the arugula in a circle overlapping the orange segments.
Slice the radishes into thin disks and arrange them in a circle in the center of the salad.
Drizzle the olive oil over the salad, squeeze the lemon halves over it and season to taste with flaky sea salt and pepper.
Typically artful display of local produce at a fruit and vegetable market in Istanbul
◁ Tomato and Walnut Salad with Pomegranate Molasses
SERVES 4
The walnut tree and its luscious, oil-rich fruit can be traced back to Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BCE. Today, Turkey is among the world’s top producers of both tomatoes and walnuts. Turkish cooks have long understood that pairing sweet yet acidic tomatoes with buttery walnuts make a delicious marriage of cultures.
This salad works with any fresh tomatoes in season, but it’s more decorative with a mix of heirloom tomatoes in different sizes, hues and flavors. Add it to your meze table or serve as a side dish.
1/2 cup (60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
3 medium red tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (25 g) coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Put the walnuts in a single layer in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Stir the nuts continuously for 2 to 3 minutes until they become fragrant and turn a rich golden-brown. Set aside to cool.
Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and put them in a nonreactive serving bowl. If there is any tomato juice left on the cutting board, add it to the bowl.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Add the walnuts and parsley to the tomatoes and gently fold to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss again to mix. Finish with a few more grinds of black pepper, if desired.
Peas and Carrots Salad with Artichoke Hearts
SERVES 6 TO 8
This is our take on a classic Turkish meze made year round, but especially when fresh peas and artichokes appear in the markets. Steamed carrots, chopped green onions, peas, cannellini beans and artichoke hearts are tossed with olive oil and lots of lemon juice and fresh dill for a flavorful and filling salad, best served warm or at room temperature.
11/2 cups (210 g) peeled and diced carrots
1/2 cup (30 g) chopped scallions
8 fresh trimmed artichoke hearts, rubbed with lemon juice, or 11/2 (9-ounce / 255-g packages) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and sprinkled with lemon juice
1 cup (145 g) fresh or 1 cup (135 g) frozen peas
3/4 cup (132 g) cooked cannellini beans, drained
1/4 cup (12 g) chopped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving
In a pan with a steamer basket, bring 2 inches (5 cm) of water to a boil. Add the carrots to the basket and steam for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chopped scallions and steam for 2 minutes more. Remove the basket from heat and reserve the cooking water. Put the carrots and scallions in a serving bowl.
Bring the water back to a boil with the steamer basket in place. Add the fresh or frozen artichoke hearts to the basket and turn the heat to medium. For fresh artichokes, steam for 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon their size, until tender but still firm. Steam frozen artichokes for 10 minutes. When tender, remove the steamer basket and rinse the artichokes under cold water. Pat dry and set aside.
Bring the reserved steaming water back to a boil, adding more water to reach 3 inches (75 mm). Drop the peas into the water. When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cannellini beans. Heat the peas and beans for 1 minute. Drain and add to the carrots and scallions.
If the artichoke hearts have stems, cut them off with a bit of the artichoke bottom and reserve for garnish. Cut the hearts in halves or quarters, depending upon the size of the artichokes, and add to the vegetables.
To finish the salad, add the dill, kosher salt and lemon juice and carefully mix to combine. Dress with the olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Garnish with the reserved artichoke bottoms, stems up, if you have them. Serve with lemon wedges.
Orange and Red Onion Salad
SERVES 6
One November, on a bus ride along Turkey’s southeastern Mediterranean coast en route from Alanya to Cappadocia, we were surprised to pass an area with many orange groves, their trees heavy with fruit. With so many bags of oranges for sale at roadside stands, we wondered who would eat them all. We regretted having to miss the annual citrus festival in nearby Mersin the following week, where beauty queens ride atop floats in dresses made entirely of oranges. When we arrived in the heart of Cappadocia, we learned where many of those oranges are stored: in cellars dug into tufa stone to be eaten over the winter.
The formal Turkish word for sour orange and citrus, which first grew in Southeast Asia, is narenciye, a word derived from Sanskrit, meaning orange tree. Narenciye traveled to Spain and Portugal with Muslim traders and was grafted with the sweeter Seville and Valencia oranges. In the fifteenth century Portuguese traders then brought these oranges to Turkey, where they are now called portakal, from Portugal.
4 navel or Valencia oranges
1 small red onion, peeled
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (40 g) crumbled Crisp Roasted Olives
With a sharp knife, remove the peel and the white pith from each orange. Cut the orange in half lengthwise, and slice each half crosswise to create 1/4-inch (6-mm) thick half-moons. Put the slices and any reserved juice in a serving bowl.
Cut the onion in half lengthwise then thinly slice each half and separate the slices. Add the onion to the oranges and mix gently.
Sprinkle the thyme, sumac, Aleppo pepper, and cumin over the onions and oranges. Drizzle on the olive oil and toss lightly. This salad is best if it sits at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with the roasted olives just before serving.
◁ Melon with Feta, Mint and Pomegranate
SERVES 4
In Turkey, the pomegranate harvest begins in late September.
Sweet honeydew melon provides a juicy counterpoint to briny crumbles of feta in this colorful salad. Melon salads are often served as a meze with rakı; this one is also a good first course for a light lunch or summer supper. The most important thing is to use a ripe, fragrant melon.
1 ripe honeydew melon
4 ounces (75 g) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup (25 g) small fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (75 g) pomegranate seeds
Slice the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the melon into 1-inch (25-mm) half-moon slices and remove the rind.
Layer the melon slices on a serving tray, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle the feta over the melon. Garnish with the mint and pomegranate seeds.
Crisp Roasted Olives
MAKES 1 CUP (155 g)
An olive vendor at the market in Ayvalik, on the northwestern Aegean coast
Joy’s husband, Fred (who never met an olive he doesn’t love), devised this technique one afternoon when there was an overabundance of salt-cured olives in the kitchen. The crunchy olives turned out to be a delicious meze snack and a superb garnish when crushed and sprinkled on deviled eggs, omelets and salads. Once you make these, you’ll want keep them around all the time, like we do.
1 cup (155 g) pitted black salt-cured olives
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat. Spread the olives on the baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, turning once. Turn off the oven and let the olives continue to crisp while the oven cools, about 1 hour. Remove the olives from the oven. When they are completely cool and crisp, they’re ready to eat.
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. If the olives lose their crispness, heat them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 minutes.
White Bean Salad with Lemon
SERVES 6
At Sultanahmet Köftecisi restaurant, in business since 1920 and always full of hungry diners, we’ve been enjoying classic dishes since our first visit to Istanbul: warm bowls of lentil soup and juicy köfte grilled with mildly hot peppers. We often order a plate of the restaurant’s white bean salad, dressed with onion, parsley, lots of lemon juice and olive oil, and mop up the juices left in the salad bowl with the pillowy soft bread they serve mounded high in a plastic basket.
You can soak and cook your own beans or use drained and rinsed canned beans, as we do when we’re in a hurry.
1 cup (185 g) dry white beans, such as cannellini or great northern beans, or 1 (15.5-ounce / 439-g) can beans
1/2 cup (30 g) chopped scallions
Juice from 2 lemons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups / 110 g)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for serving
If using dried beans, put the beans in a pot and cover with water. Soak overnight in a cool place. Drain the soaking water and add fresh water to cover the beans by 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm). Over medium heat, bring the beans to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 1 to 11/2 hours, until the beans are tender and cooked through but not breaking apart. Drain well.
If using canned beans, put in a small pot over medium heat until warmed through. In a mixing bowl, combine the warm beans, scallions, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Gently mix and set aside for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
To serve, spread the lettuce on a serving platter and mound the beans on top. Scatter the parsley over the beans and place the lemon wedges around the platter.
Russian Potato Salad
SERVES 6
This retro salad bound with mayonnaise was developed in the 1860s by a Belgian chef at the renowned Hermitage Restaurant in Moscow. By the early twentieth century, Russian salad had become popular in Istanbul, after Imperial Russians, fleeing the Bolsheviks, settled on the European side of the Bosporus. Traditional Russian dishes like this were always on the menu at the classic (now closed) Istanbul restaurant Rejans, a haunt of Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic.
Russian potato salad has many variations. This version is adapted from the recipe Joy’s grandmother brought from eastern Germany. Store-bought mayonnaise will work perfectly well, but homemade mayonnaise elevates the flavor. Serve alongside Minted Lamb Burgers, or toss in a cup of chickpeas to make a hearty main-dish salad.
FOR THE DRESSING
3/4 cup (170 g) mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup (15 g) chopped scallions, white part and a bit of the green
1/4 cup (13 g) chopped dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SALAD
3 medium carrots
3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
1 cup (145 g) fresh or 1 cup (135 g) frozen peas
4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
To make the dressing, put the mayonnaise in a mixing bowl. Stir in the pickle relish, scallions, dill, salt and pepper.
Peel the carrots and potatoes and cut them into a 3/4-inch dice. Bring 6 cups (1.4 L) of salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots and potatoes, stir once, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the peas, bring the water back to a boil and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove the vegetables from the heat and drain in a colander. Set aside to cool.
Coarsely chop 3 of the hard-boiled eggs, reserving 1 egg for garnish.
When the vegetables have cooled to room temperature, put them in a serving bowl and add the chopped eggs. Gently fold in the mayonnaise mixture to coat well. Add additional mayonnaise as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Be careful not to break up the ingredients.
Cut the remaining egg into quarters and arrange the egg wedges in the center of the salad. Sprinkle with the chopped dill and dust with paprika.
The lobby of Istanbul's historic Pera Palace hotel