One of the things I really enjoyed about living in Turkey was the access to delicious and fresh produce. There is no better example of this than Shepherd’s Salad. It’s crisp and refreshing as an accompaniment to most meals. I had a version of it recently in a restaurant and complained about the size of the vegetables. It’s really important that the components are similar in size and diced. Not too small, but not too large either!
Ingredients
4 Persian cucumbers
4 plum tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
¼ red onion
Italian parsley, chopped finely
3 tbsps. olive oil
3 tbsps. lemon juice
Sumac
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the cucumbers into ½ inch chunks.
2. Quarter the tomatoes and slice them into pieces that are the same size as the cucumbers.
3. Chop the green pepper and red onion into ½ inch pieces similar to the cucumbers and tomatoes.
4. Make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice and parsley in a glass measuring cup. Add ½ tsp. sea salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Toss the salad together with the dressing. You should be able to taste the lemon! Top with a spinkle of sumac.
Note: Sumac is can be found at Middle Eastern specialty stores and at Whole Foods.
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