Ezme
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized tomatoes (it is important that you use the tastiest tomatoes you can find; their looks are irrelevant as they will be chopped. You can vary the number according to the size of fruit you use)
- 4 spring onions (again, aim for the sharpest-flavoured you can locate. A fresh red onion can also be used)
- 1 red pepper (yes, as above)
- 1 chilli pepper (hot, hot, hot!)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- juice of half a lemon
- olive oil
- parsley
- salt and pepper
Optional:
- 1 tablespoon chilli paste or 1 teaspoon chilli powder (especially useful if you do not have access to hot chilli peppers. Tabasco sauce is a possible alternative)
- 1 teaspoon Turkish pomegranate syrup (if you don’t have any to hand, any other sweet sauce made from red sour fruits can be used to similar effect, e.g. redcurrant jam)
- mint
- 1-3 cloves garlic
Instructions
Take the tomatoes and peeled onions and chop them as finely as possible, taking care to preserve the tomato juice. Do the same with the peppers and parsley, the finer the better. Then, place everything in a bowl and add the other ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, and let it sit for at least an hour, so the flavours can intermingle freely.
Now you have a choice. If you want to serve your Ezme as a salad, leave it as it is and let it chill in the refrigerator. If you prefer the paste version, use a blender at medium to high strength to convert the mixture into an even mass. This, too, should then be chilled for at least an hour.
Ezme is a standard Turkish dish, but not a uniform one. Besides the chosen texture, there is also a great range of spiciness. This is where your own taste and your own creativity come into play. Often, the hotness of the chilli pepper is cut by the addition of something sweet, as mentioned in our optional ingredients above, to create an interesting balance of very pronounced spicy, acidic and sweet notes.
Ezme can be served by itself as a cold starter or a meze. It also works extremely well as an accompaniment to grilled meat (especially lamb) or fish. The spicier versions should be served with fresh white bread. Ayran, the traditional Anatolian yoghurt drink is a wonderfully refreshing accompaniment, as is a light white wine.