Food and culture truly go hand in hand, I firmly believe that. I also love to try new foods and learn more about cooking techniques, so I was super excited when my mom came to visit and declared that she had found a cooking class for us to attend while she was in Istanbul. And one for us to attend while we were in Greece. I was like a kid at Christmas- two cooking classes in one week?! I knew it was going to be amazing.
Our cooking class with Turkish Flavours in Istanbul started off with a tour of, what else, the Spice Bazaar! We visited a booth at the market that had been in the same family for five generations and we were lucky enough to get to try a variety of spices and spice blends, including a BBQ spice that rivaled any I had had before. The charismatic and knowledgeable lady walking us through our spice tasting had studied in the US and was a wealth of information on what to do with the spices and how to use them to their full potential. To taste the spices we were given small popscicle-like sticks which we dipped into the spices. We then sprinkled the spices on the back of our hands and tasted from there. I love the idea of using so many spices, low in calories and high in flavor they are a great alternative to salt and sugar in many dishes!
Our actual cooking class was in the beautiful home of a warm and fun Turkish woman named Selin. She had quite the menu planned out for us- 7 courses including Muska Borek (feta and herbs in phyllo dough), an amazing spread for our bread called muhammara, split belly eggplants filled with ground beef, tomatoes, garlic and herbs and a semolina sponge cake for dessert. She put us to work chopping vegetables while she explained more about the history of Turkish cuisine and some of the unique flavor profiles we were using, including pairing currants and dill in a seasoned rice, amazing! While all of the food was absolutely incredible, this carrot salad absolutely blew me away- it is sweet, garlicky and fresh tasting, the flavors marry so well in this utterly unique dish and it is so easy to make!
- 1 Lb fresh Carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Lb Plain Turkish (or Greek) Yogurt (see note)
- 1 Tbsp Tahini
- 2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
- 2 Tbsp Walnuts, crushed
- 1 tsp Dolma Spice (see note)
- Pinch of Salt
- In a frying pan, over low heat, lightly sauté the carrots in olive oil. Cook them down to half their original volume, still retaining their crunchiness, and set aside to cool.
- Whisk together the yogurt, tahini, dolma spice, salt, walnuts and garlic until smooth. When the carrots are cooled, toss with the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- **Notes:
- The Turks invented yogurt and the Ottoman Empire brought it to Greece. While we are less familiar with Turkish yogurt (Greek yogurt has been better marketed, thanks to Chobani) Turkish and Greek yogurt are roughly the same thing- thick, strained, creamy yogurt and either one of them will work for this recipe.
- Dolma spice is a sweet spice, like pumpkin pie spice without ginger. To make your own, combine cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and allspice. The sweet spices lend the illusion of sweetness but without added sugar.