ASPARAGUS MEZZE (ASPARAGUS IN MUSTARD DRESSING)

(Recipe in English is below. Kuskonmaz mezesi tarifi için burayi tiklayin)

Asparagus I love! When my husband asked me to make some mezzes, I wanted to try this cold asparagus salad in mustard dressing. I got inspired by two different recipes that are served as meze (cold starter) in two different restaurants here in Istanbul but in the end created my own thing! I can say that it was quite delicious!

As it is not season of asparagus here, I used asparagus in the jar. I am sure it would be much more tasty if this delicious meze was made with fresh asparagus!

I wanted to add some capers however did not have any available in the supermarket; so it will be for the next time. If you have some, do not hesitate to add them!

As we say in Turkish: Afiyet olsun! (bon appetit!)

Ingredients: 

10 – 11 white asparagus, boiled (or from the can)

1 desert spoon of mustard (I prefer mustard with seeds. Next time I will give this recipe a try with honey mustard!)

2 – 3 desert spoon of apple vinegar
1 - 2 spoon of water in order to obtain a better salad dressing texture

Half of one small or medium size onion; chopped in small cubes

2 – 3 drops of lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Start with the dressing: mix the mustard with the apple vinegar. Add the water and mix some more.
2. Rub the cubes of onion with the salt and the lemon juice until the onion gets soft and looses its water. Squeze in order to get rid of its juice and add it to the mustard and apple vinegar and mix.
3. Take the asparagus on a plate and pour the dressing on it.  

asparagus

mustard dressing

asparagus mezze

SAMPHIRE (GLASSWORT) SALAD

(Recipe in English is below. Deniz börülcesi salatasi tarifi için burayi tiklayin)

This is one of the popular meze’s in Turkey; served before the grilled fish.

It doesn’t include many ingredients however samphire is a bit tricky: do not use salt in the water you boil it as it is already quite salty! Aaand, there’s awn that needs to be cleaned (see the method section)

Ingredients:

A bundle of samphire; washed

Water

2 – 3 spoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 – 2 garlic cloves, crushed

The juice of ½ or 1 lemon or 2 - 3 spoons of apple vinegar

Method:

1. Start with the salad dressing: Mix the olive oil, garlic and the lemon juice very well.
2. Boil water in a deep pot and throw the samphire in it in order to boil them soft.
3. Samphire has awn that has to be cleaned; so when they are a bit cool, clean them: hold them from the thicker stem and pull the skin out of the awn.
4. Mix it with the dressing and ready to serve!

turkish samphire (glasswort) salad

SPINACH SALAD

(Recipe in English is below. Yogurtlu ispanak salatasi tarifi için burayi tiklayin)

This one is something I serve as a starter, as meze, next to the other things. It is delicious and yet so simple to make. Give it a try!

Ingredients (Serves 3 – 4)

Half a kilo spinach leaves, washed and drained, chopped fine  

spinach leaves chopped fine

3 spoons of flour

3 spoons of olive oil

5 – 6 spoons of strained yoghurt

1 – 2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt to your taste

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the flour and over a medium heat and using a small pointed wooden spoon, stir quite vigorously to make a smooth, glossy paste.
2. Add small bits of the spinach you chopped at a time and continue stirring. You will see that the spinach will become creamy as it gets mixed with the flour.
3. When all the spinach is finished, turn the fire off and let it cool down.
4. In the meantime prepare the sauce: add the garlic cloves you crushed into the yoghurt and mix well.
5. When the spinach is cool enough, add the yoghurt sauce and mix well. Ready to serve!

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 5

Spinach salad