Gavurdağı Salatası
Gavurdağı Salatası·(gah-voor-dah-uh sah-lah-tah-suh)
Baba'nın Mangalı (The Weekend Grill & Summer Nostalgia)
Take a heavy chef's knife to the board on a Tuesday night, chopping until the tomatoes bleed into a pile of crushed walnuts, because this isn't a bowl of fluffy, polite greens. It is a pomegranate-tart spoon salad designed to cut through animal fat like a scythe, the secret resting in the knife work: every vegetable must be painstakingly diced to the exact size of a backgammon die, bound by thick pomegranate molasses. Tear off a heel of bread and drag it straight through the dark puddle at the bottom of the bowl.
Before you start
Tame a harsh onion.
If your red onion is particularly pungent, massage the diced pieces in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and sumac for thirty seconds before mixing it with the other vegetables.
Ingredients
- Campari or heirloom tomatoes4 med
- red onion1 med
- Cubanelle or Anaheim peppers2 med
- Persian cucumbers2 med
- walnut halves1 cup
- flat-leaf parsley1/2 bunch
- fresh mint leaves1 small handful
- pure pomegranate molasses4 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil6 tbsp
- ground sumac2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- Aleppo pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Respect the walnuts.
Place the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant, then hand-chop them on a cutting board. Never use a food processor, which will release their oils, turn them into a greasy paste, and ruin the salad's crunch.
- 02
Dice the vegetables to the size of a backgammon die.
The Turks call this precise cut tavla zarı. The tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cucumbers must be painstakingly uniform so every spoonful is a perfect mosaic. Transfer everything to a large bowl along with the chopped parsley and mint.
- 03
Emulsify the dressing independently.
Don't just dump oil and acid over the vegetables. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, sumac, salt, and Aleppo pepper until it forms a thick, glossy syrup.
- 04
Wait until the last possible second to toss.
Finely diced vegetables weep quickly. Keep the dressing, walnuts, and vegetables separate until your grilled meats are resting, then pour the dressing over the vegetables, add the walnuts, and gently toss from the bottom up.
- 05
Serve immediately with a spoon.
Transfer to a wide, shallow dish and serve alongside rich meats, making sure to scoop up the tart, nutty juices pooling at the bottom.
Notes
The cucumber controversy.
Purist kebab masters in Gaziantep swear against adding cucumbers because they release water and dilute the dressing. Most modern home cooks add them anyway for the refreshing crunch. The choice is yours.
Sourcing the molasses.
Check the label on your pomegranate molasses. It should list exactly one ingredient: pomegranates. If it contains added glucose or sugar, it will ruin the intended tartness of the dish.
From Cook Turkish in America.