Carrot Puree with Yogurt Sauce

A Turkish meze served with a tangy yogurt sauce

Meze are traditional Turkish appetizers, similar to Spanish tapas. They are served at restaurants in the evenings, traditionally accompanied by rakı, a Turkish anise liquor much like Greek ouzo. Waiters often circulate with an assortment of meze and customers pick and choose plates they wish to try….

When we first travelled in Turkey, with the children, we had little opportunity to dine in this leisurely way.

We did however, buy a Turkish cookbook Classic Turkish Cookery, (Ghillie Başan, I. B. Tauris & Co. 1997), and make some meze at the flat we had rented in Istanbul. We tried them out on our Turkish friend, Alper, who declared them as good as any he had ever tasted (he was quite a polite fellow). This dish was one of those that we took from that session and have adjusted to suit our tastes.

Turks seem to delight in vegetable purees, from pureed chickpeas (hummus) to purred eggplant. I find that the brilliant color of this one makes a great addition to an appetizer spread and can even be served as a side.

We’ve made this one many times at home, and brought it to countless pot-lucks. Serve it with pita bread if you can’t find Turkish pide, or even a fresh baked loaf of leavened bread.

Ingredients:

· 1 lb Carrots, peeled

· 3 T Olive oil

· ¼ c. Lemon juice

· 1 T Caraway seeds

· Salt

· Pepper

· ¾ c. Thick plain yogurt

· 3 T. Lemon juice

· 5 Cloves garlic, minced

· 3 T Chopped fresh herbs, mint and/or dill

· Salt

Directions:

1. Steam the carrots until soft.

2. Make the yogurt sauce by mixing yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, herbs and salt to taste. Chill.

3. In a food processor, combine steamed carrots, olive oil, lemon juice, and caraway seeds. Process until fairly smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Spoon the carrot mixture onto a serving plate, making a mound in the center. Make a well in the center of the carrot mound to accommodate the yogurt.

5. Serve with Turkish flatbread (pide), pitas or your favorite leavened bread.

Afiyet olsun! Bon appetite!