This is one of the rare Turkish recipes that my Aussie friends enjoy as much as I do. You can change the ingredients, add more or less of what you like, but never compromise on the fine chopping.
While chopping and preparing, I reflect on what the salad (and life) really means.
Here’s my interpretation:
- Parsley (In Turkish “maydanoz” which means “parsley” is slang for one who throws themselves in the middle of everything, a meddler. Like garnish on platters, any energy I put towards making people happy is wasted. Better things to focus on: Personal well-being and the garden.
- Pomegranate seeds (You can try to beat the seeds out with a wooden spoon or you can slow down and pick out the delicate ruby seeds one by one. Sometimes when we try to be efficient and rush people, we make a mess of our relationships.)
- Walnuts (Break out of your shell and become a part of something delicious)
- Capsicum (We call these “peppers” in the US. The flavour is pretty similar. A pepper by any other name tastes the same)
- Cucumbers (Stay cool)
- Red onion (Our identity is multi-layered, that of the professional, mother, father, daughter, baby boomer, millennial, Lane Covian… At our core, we are all space, very much like the heart of the onion)
I dress the salad with virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pomegranate molasses (best if from Menek’s family farm in Marmaris).
So there you are. Steal what you like, tweak it, make it your own. I can’t wait to taste your version of it.
Afiyet olsun (Turkish for “bon appetit”)
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