Middle Eastern

This famous Turkish salad makes a light snack meal.

The celeriac acquires a special delicate flavor and a pale-yellow tinge.

This Lenten specialty of the Orthodox Christian communities of Syria and Lebanon can be served hot or cold. Accompany with yogurt.

In Turkey all kinds of vegetables, including cauliflower and green beans, are dressed with a nut sauce called tarator. Here celeriac and carrots make a good combination of flavor and color, and yogurt is a refreshing addition to the sauce.

I was given this recipe by a lovely Cypriot. I had never come across it before. It can be made with all kinds of mushrooms. I used shiitake with a Cabernet Sauvignon and found them delicious except that the stalks remained chewy, so cut those off if you use them.

Serve this in a bowl with plain boiled or steamed vegetables such as runner beans, zucchini, or cauliflower.

Leeks are especially popular in Egypt.

This is a Turkish way of dressing beets.

Mushrooms are not common in the Middle East but you do find them—in Cyprus, for instance.

Okra is one of the most popular vegetables in the Arab world.

For this Arab and Turkish way of serving zucchini, the vegetables may be deep-fried, grilled, or broiled.

If you want to use fresh baby artichokes, see instructions for preparing the hearts on page 282.

Yogurt often accompanies these Turkish fritters.

They call it meshweya, which means “roasted,” because the vegetables are roasted—usually over a fire. There are many versions. This one can be a meal in itself.

The combination of raisins and pine nuts was brought by the Arabs all the way to Spain and Sicily.

Pomegranate syrup gives this attractive Syrian specialty a sweet-and-sour flavor. Look for eggplants which are about 4 inches long.

This common Turkish way of serving eggplants is simple and quite delicious.