Carrot Salad with Yogurt (Yoğurtlu Havuç Salatası)

Carrot salad with yogurt is one of the greatly respected rakı companions. Mainly for this reason, that it's highly associated with consumption of alcohol, it's made rarely at homes by women who do not want to cause an increase in rakı consumption of their husbands, because any reason is a good reason to have rakı. Therefore, carrot salad with yogurt is made usually for big dinner parties or special occasions like New Year's eve or bayram dinners. However, you can find this simple yet delicious meze (appetizer/starter/hors d'oeuvre) at every pub that serves rakı, especially at seafood pubs. Surprisingly carrot salad with yogurt tastes even better at sloppy pubs than it does at home although it's most probably made with a low quality oil, you're lucky if it's olive oil at all, and yogurt. Yet again rakı fixes every imperfection.


























serves 2 to 3 people

4 cups of grated carrot
1 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
salt
1 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)

-Heat oil in a skillet and add grated carrots. Stir until carrots are wilted.
-Put carrots in a bowl with yogurt, garlic, dill, and salt. Mix well.

Serve with crusty bread with any kind of meat.

note: At people's houses this meze is made with yogurt, but at pubs they sometimes use mayonnaise to thicken it up.

Vegeterian Zucchini Boat (Kabak Bayıldı)

Remember that eggplant dish with a funny name, İmam Bayıldı (the priest fainted)? Kabak bayıldı is the "zucchinized" version of the same dish. Unlike imam bayıldı, which was originated in the Palace kitchens, kabak bayıldı was created in regular, non-imperial kitchens, yet inspired by the eggplant version.

In the very traditional way of preparing kabak bayıldı, zucchinis are deep fried before the stuffing process; however, I choose not to for a lighter and healthier dish.
























5 medium zucchinis, washed and halved lengthwise
3 medium onions, cut thinly in rounds or half moons
5-7 cloves of garlic, chopped
3-4 tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp spicy crushed peppers (optional)
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 bunch dill, finely chopped

-Cut the zucchini into two lengthwise and scoop out the seedy part. Place them in a wide, not so deep pot, scooped part facing up.
-In a skillet heat olive oil.
-Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft.
-Add diced tomato, sugar, salt and crushed pepper.
Cook for five minutes on medium stirring occasionally.
-Add parsley and dill after turning it off. (save some to garnish at the end)
-Stuff generously the zucchini boats with the sauce.
-Pour 1 cup of water on top. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for half an hour.
-Sprinkle dill and parsley and serve luke warm or cold.

Kabak bayıldı goes well with rice or bulgur pilaf and yogurt.

Tomato Pilaf (Domatesli Pilav)

One of the indispensable dishes of summer time dinner tables. It goes well with any kind of grilled meat and olive oil dishes.

serves 6

2 cups of rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil or butter
3-4 juicy tomatoes, diced and preferably skinned or 1 can of petite diced tomato
1 tsp salt
a pinch of sugar (1/4 tsp or a little more)
1 tsp black pepper (optional)
4 cups of water or stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)
finely chopped parsley to garnish
























-According to the traditional Turkish style of making rice pilaf, rice is soaked in warm water for at least 20 minutes and then rinsed well to wash off the starchiness. Although I have been scolded by mom and aunts over this issue, I do not soak or wash rice for no good reason other than laziness.
-Saute onion in a pot, preferably a non-sticky one, with olive oil or butter until soft.
-Add the tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes until they acquire that cooked-tomato color.
-Add rice and stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add water or stock, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir once. Turn the heat down to low once it starts boiling.
-Cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes, until it absorbs the water or stock. Do not stir it!
-Once it's cooked. Take the pot off the stove and cover the top with a paper towel or a clean kitchen cloth. Still, do not stir it. Replace the lid. Let sit covered for at least 10 minutes.
-Now you can stir or fluff it up to distribute the oil evenly that sat on the bottom. Sprinkle chopped parsley and serve hot.