Tag Archives: Turkish

Sugar snap salad with sumac dressing

27 Aug

Last summer, Mat and I spent two beautiful and eye-opening weeks in Turkey. Given we both enjoy cooking and love trying new things, the Grand Bazar was one of our highlights. OK, the constant haggling was intense and our bargaining technique most likely left the shopkeepers laughing… But once we got used to the overwhelming sights, sounds and smells, we were able to stock up on spices, dried fruit and tea. Since then, Mat has been inventing all kinds of ways to use the spice mixes he chose (he’s great at improvising that way), whereas I was just waiting to find a great recipe to use my sumac – the one spice I was adamant about getting from the Bazaar. Here it is kids!

Sugar snap peas, radishes, ricotta salata and mint with sumac dressing.

I found this sugar snap salad recipe in the July edition of Bon Appétit and was drawn to it even before knowing there was any sumac in there. Oh how happy it made me when I saw it was centre stage in the dressing! And wouldn’t you know it, just a few pages later, I found an 8-page spread on Turkish cuisine. I have to say, I ♥ my Bon Appétit.

Recipe:
From Bon Appétit, July 2011 issue
Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 ½ lb sugar snap peas, trimmed, stringed and cut on the diagonal
Kosher salt
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice (or more if desired)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp sumac (a lemony Mediterranean spice) plus more for garnish (in my case, it was lots more ;-) )
1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
4 oz. ricotta salata or feta, crumbled (ricotta salata is salted aged ricotta, which resembles feta but is firmer and less salty)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarsely chopped mint

Blanch peas in boiling water about 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl filled with water and lots of ice to prevent the peas from cooking any more and preserve the bright green colour. Dry peas on kitchen towels.

To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, lemon juice and vinegar and half of the sumac. Toss the peas, radishes, cheese and mint together in a large bowl. Add the dressing and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle the rest of the sumac on top.

No-fuss Turkish eats at Avesta

9 Apr

What a week, eh? I don’t know about you, but by the time Friday rolls around after 5 days of work-related stress (aren’t I supposed to be all zen now?) and insomnia, I just want to have a beer and enjoy a no-fuss meal with good friends at a “no makeup required” restaurant. So, when the eternal question – where do we go for dinner Friday? – popped up this week, I was glad to suggest Turkish eatery Avesta.  As Pat pointed out: “it’s definitely more of a lunch place”, but if you want something different and are going out with a “bring your own ambiance” group, then this is an interesting option. Plus, it’s cheap as chips!

Not quite "fine cuisine" but great for lunch or something different with a group.

So how the heck did I stumble upon this place? I used to work right in front of it and got really tired of the MSG-infused options at Soupe Bol. Instead, I would get three mezes (appetizers and spreads) and some warm flatbread made on-site. In fact, the lady sitting at the front of the restaurant flattening balls of dough or making manti (tiny ravioli) is one of the main attractions. You can see her from the restaurant window outside, and that is often what gets people to come in.

Making bread at the front of the restaurant

And what attracted me to Turkish food, you ask? Well, in high school, I spent my fair share of weekends at a Turkish home in Pointe-Claire and the food was awesome! My best friend at the time was Turkish and I got a great peak into the beautiful and rich culture. So much so, that I spent two weeks in the Western part of the country, including 5 days in Istanbul last summer. I highly recommend it!

Back to the food. This is a rundown of what we shared among the 6 of us:

3 borek (filo pastries with spinach and feta or potatoes and spiced ground meat)
6 mezzes (stuffed vine leaves, yogurt and cucumber dip, hummus, mouhammara, stuffed zucchini and red-pepper dip)
1 gozleme (what Mat likes to call a Turkish quesadilla)
1 sautéed lamb dish with mixed vegetables
1 order of manti (tiny ravioli in yogurt with spicy oil) – I thought they were even better than the ones I tasted in Turkey :-S
5 baklava

Spinach and feta borek

Sautéed lamb and veggie dish and manti

All this, plus 5 beers (they have imports!) and 1 bottle of wine came to $27,58 + tax each. Not bad!

Avesta Restaurant
2077, Sainte-Catherine St. West (corner Fort, in front of Collège Lasalle)
www.restoavesta.ca
Avesta on Urbanspoon
Güle güle!

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