Gypsy Salad

This cheerful, tasty salad is an adapation of one from Greg Malouf’s magnificent Turkish cookbook, Turquoise. You can use 100g chopped semi-dried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes (or dry the halved tomatoes in a slow oven for a few hours).

 

Inroduction

About this Recipe

By: Sheridan Rogers

Cheerful, bright gypsy salads, using mixed raw vegetables are popular in Turkiye. Some are made with grated hard cheese but I really like this one with its tangy yoghurt dressing and the addition of couscous. You can substitute 100g chopped semi-dried tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes (or you could dry the halved tomatoes in a slow oven for a few hours).

 

Ingredients

Serves 4 – 6

    Salad:

    • cherry tomatoes 1 punnet, halved
    • Lebanese cucumber 1 medium, halved lengthways, seeded and cut into half moons
    • red Spanish onion 1 small, peeled and diced
    • dried apricots 1/2 cup (75g), diced
    • Israeli couscous 1 1/2 cups, cooked (follow packet instructions)
    • sweet potato (kumara) 1 1/2 cups (150g), peeled, cut into 2cm dice and roasted
    • green beans 1 cup (120g), cut into 4cm lengths and blanched
    • blanched almonds 1/2 cup (75g), toasted

    Dressing:

    • natural thick yoghurt 100ml
    • extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon
    • lemon 1/2, juiced
    • garlic 1 clove, crushed
    • salt 1/2 teaspoon
    • red chilli flakes 1/4 teaspoon
    • ground cumin 1 teaspoon

    To serve:

    • hummus 2 cups
    • pita breads 2, cut into small triangles and crisped in a slow oven

    Place all the salad ingredients in a serving bowl and toss well together. Combine the dressing ingredients and serve in a bowl on the side.
    To serve (optional):  smear hummus on the bottom of a platter. Place salad on top, drizzle with dressing. Serve pita crisps on the side.