I am excited to share with you, one of my favourite recipes at my new cook book, ISTANBUL – it is Beetroot with Olives, Toasted Hazelnuts and Pul Biber Oil, Zeytinli, Fındıklı, Pul Biber Soslu Pancar. Everyone I serve love this, even dear Nigella Lawson is a fan.
Beets with toasted hazelnuts, olives, pul biber oil from Istanbul cookery book, image by Sam A Harris
We love pancar (beetroot) and great big bunches of it can be found in our pazar (farmers markets) in İstanbul. The modern eateries and cafés of the city also serve it in salads, usually cooked and then dressed in oil and vinegar, but sometimes grated and mixed with yoghurt too. Inspired by this, I combined cooked beetroot with briny green olives and crunchy, toasted hazelnuts, ingredients that bring layers of flavour and texture to this easy meze. The nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses) in the dressing adds a natural sweet-and-sourness that goes well with the beetroot, complementing both the cooling yoghurt and the heat of the pul biber oil. You can replace the hazelnuts with your choice of nuts, if you wish.
Prepare ahead This is a great one to make ahead, as the flavours develop as it sits. You can make it a day ahead and keep in the refrigerator, covered. Drizzle the pul biber oil just before serving.
I hope you enjoy my recipe, from ISTANBUL cookery book. Over 85 delicious, easy to make flavours from Istanbul included in the book (over 50 of them vegetarian too), along with stunning design and photography. You can get a copy here
Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem x
- 650 g (1 lb 7 oz) beetroot (beets) - raw or pre-cooked-
- 4 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely chopped 85 g (3 oz) stoned (pitted) green olives, halved
- 55 g (2 oz) shelled hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- small handful parsley, finely chopped
- For the garlic yoghurt:
- 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
- 170 g (6 oz) full fat Turkish or Greek yoghurt (use a plant-based version, if preferred)
- For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 30 ml (1 fl oz) nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For the pul biber oil:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Take the yoghurt out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to bring to room temperature. Stir in the garlic, season with salt and set aside.
- If you prefer to cook your beetroot, wash, trim and pat dry. Wrap each beetroot in foil (first cutting small beetroot in half lengthways and large ones into quarters), place on a baking tray (pan) and bake in an oven preheated to 200˚C fan/220˚C (425˚F) for about an hour. Allow to cool before carefully peeling the skin and cutting into 5 mm (1/4 in) thick slices.
- If using pre-cooked beetroot, drain the excess juice from the package, halve any large beetroot, then cut into 5 mm (1/4 in) thick slices.
- Place the beetroot in a bowl, add the spring onions and olives and combine well.
- Toast the hazelnuts in a small, dry pan set over a medium heat for 2½ –3 minutes, until they start to turn golden, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Pour the extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate molasses and lemon juice into a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and give everything a good mix with a small spoon.
- Pour the olive oil into a small pan, stir in the pul biber (Aleppo pepper) and allow to infuse over a low heat for about 45 seconds.
- Stir most of the toasted hazelnuts into the beetroot mixture, reserving some for garnish. Pour over the dressing, combine well, then spoon onto a wide serving dish and top with dollops of the yoghurt, swirling it to reveal the lovely shades of pink and red. Sprinkle with the reserved hazelnuts and the parsley, and drizzle over the pul biber oil.
