Turkish zucchini, feta, dill and walnut salad

This is a modern rendition of a traditional salad called Cevizli kaba, a cooling salad with creamy yogurt, walnuts, feta and zucchini. In this version, the chefs grill the zucchini and peppers to bring out the flavors and drizzle the yogurt on top for a beautiful presentation. This salad is a lot of fun to make and eat. The charred zucchini contrasts with the creamy yogurt, the walnuts add a nutty flavor and texture, and the hilies a pop of spice. It comes together beautifully on your palate. This is one of those cooked salads that works well in the summer because of the light zucchini and yogurt. A fun cookbook that is full of contemporary Turkish recipes. Recipes from across the region of Turkey this book is filled with recipes for kebabs, stews and other Turkish favorites, as well as, some new dishes. Everything I have cooked from this book has been fantastic, this is one of my favorite Turkish cookbooks.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb baby zucchini

2 red or green chiles

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil spray

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice from 1/2 to 1 lemon or lime

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Handful dill, rough torn

Salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice (3mm) the zucchini using a mandolin, or cut by hand as thin as possible. Layer on a lined baking tray and sprinkle with pepper and salt and spray with oil. Broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes till they just start to turn brown in spots. Alternatively, you can grill the zucchini slices or pan fry them to get them slightly cooked.

Halve the chilies, remove seeds and ribs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spray with oil. Broil, grill or sauté the chilies till soft. When cooled, slice on the diagonal. You can do these with the zucchini, but the cooking times will vary. When grilled, you can peel off the skins if desired, and slice into thin ribbons.

Mix the yogurt with the lemon/lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Taste the sauce, it should be bright, tangy and pop with flavor.

To serve, layer the zucchini on a flat bowl. Sprinkle the peppers all over, drizzle the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle the dill, walnuts and feta crumbles. Serve immediately with pita (optional) if desired.