Vegetarian Turkey

With our success from last Monday, plus finally getting to gather, even at a distance, we decided to continue with another backyard social distancing dinner. For this week we are taking a virtual trip to Turkey, to try creating some vegetarian delicacies. It would be nice to have guests, but until things open up, we stuck to just our trio.

This week Shawn decided to tone down the menu, so we only had 9 items…. He does not know what “toned down” means, but we’re not complaining, we love the leftovers.

To start, we had what turned out to be one of the more difficult dishes, for the meal, Red lentil kofta, with a cilantro and pomegranate salsa.

For some reason, the kofta did not want to stay together, but Shawn persisted and although delicate, they were delicious. The kofta have a gritty earthiness to them, while the salsa give a burst of brightness (and when you bite into the pomegranate seeds… an actual burst). We served them on small lettuce leaves, partly for presentation and partly to protect these delicate beauties.

Along with the Kofta, we served creamy feta and caramelized leek borek, herb vine leaves on brioche, tomato, pomegranate and sumac salad with pomegranate dressing, accompanied with a trio of dips, baba ghanoush, tziziki and muhammara (a red pepper dip).

I have to say the muhammara was surprising, creamy and intense, with a bit of heat on the finish. We grilled the vine leaves, until the cheese was just melting and the tomoto salad added colour and freshness. We again went with a Malivoire Lady Bug, as it was in stock in the cellar. I love that we can get wine delivered, it gives us a chance to support Canadian wineries, even if we cannot visit them).

For the next course was had a favorite from the past, Manti in yogurt with sizzling paprika sauce.

The hot pasta, filled with mushrooms and formed into pyramids is cooled by the yogurt, and the paprika sauce adds a different kind of heat. This is a luxurious dish, yet still light.

Finally back to the barbecue to make Turkish pizzas with spinach and halloumi cheese. barbecued pizzas are so nice and these were simple and tasty. A drizzle of chilli infused olive oil finished them off beautifully. I love discovering different cultures takes on similar dishes, but using the local ingredients, and pizza is one that is found so many places.

It was a perfect and beautiful evening to start off the week as we wait and see when we can add more people to our bubble and be in each other’s company again. Until then, our trio will continue with our weekly gatherings and our gardening.