Istanbul, Part 2

As promised, I have followed up my first Istanbul posting with another Turkish recipe, this time for a fresh tomato salad. I first had this salad at Venge Kebab in the business-y, ever-so-fashionable 4 Levent neighbourhood of Istanbul. Before even arriving into town, my kind friends and hosts announced that we were going to Venge, whether I liked it or not, because, in fact, there was no way I was not going to love it. And they were correct in this assumption.

As you can tell, our table of four did a number on every plate put before us (and this was before grilled meat and dessert!). Never a group to shy away from a selection of mezes put before us, most everything in this photo has been devoured except for the roasted eggplant, crumbled bebris, the kisir (bulgar salad at the bottom/middle). What interests me here most, however, is the remnants of the tomato, walnut, and parsley salad in the middle of the table. It was a kind of fresh tomato version of acili ezme salata (spicy tomato salad). While there are many varieties of ezme salad, the version I had been used to has a paste-like consistency, a rich and intensely flavoured spread of tomato, red pepper, and parsley to be eaten alongside various smaller dishes and grilled meat or seafood in meyhane (think of Turkish tapas; the word literally means 'where alcohol is made'), all washed down with an ice cold Efes.

Venge's version was so good because it let these gorgeous tomatoes speak for themselves, and their flavour was only enhanced by the sumac, pepper, pomegranate molasses, parsley and walnuts. I couldn't wait to get home and try my hand at it. While the tomatoes at my disposal at Marks and Sparks were not anything near to what I had there, I was quite pleased with how it came out, and, actually, after leaving leftovers to macerate overnight, it tasted even better the next day alongside bulgur and lentil soup. I'm dreaming about a repeat attempt come July/August with some heirlooms...

This salad is great paired with grilled meat or fish, or with other small dishes--goat cheese croûtes or couscous, anyone?; it's vegetarian, vegan, actually, come to think of it (someone will certainly correct me if I'm wrong), and gluten-free.

Venge’s Tomato Salad (an adaptation)

4 large or 6 small/medium vine-ripe tomatoes (British Claret worked well), roughly chopped
2 shallots, minced
3 Tbs. pomegranate molasses (see note below)*
4 Tbs. good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sumac (in a pinch, substitute ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice)
1 tsp. red pepper (pul biber) (substitute chilli flakes)
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped**
Salt, to taste

** I tested this recipe with pecans as well, and found that those are just as tasty

Mince the shallots and roughly chop the tomatoes. I found that discarding some of the seed membranes gave a less ‘soupy’ result. Place shallots and tomatoes in a medium-sized bowl and add pomegranate molasses, olive oil, sumac, red pepper, and salt. Let the tomatoes and shallots macerate at least 10 minutes. Fold in the parsley; top with walnuts and serve!

* A note on pomegranate molasses:
Pomegranate molasses is commonly used as a kind of salad vinegar in many Middle Eastern countries. It has the consistency of molasses and has a tangy, sweet taste. If you can manage to track some down, it is well worth it! Otherwise, dissolve 1 part sugar in 8 parts pomegranate juice (the oh so trendy PomWonderful would work here) and 2 parts lemon juice in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Simmer for about an hour, or until it thickens to a molasses-like consistency. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.