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Turkish
Turkish Ezme Pepper Side
15 min total15 prep0 cook4 servings90 cal
VeganVegetarian
A finely chopped Turkish relish of tomato, red pepper, and onion mixed with garlic, tangy pomegranate molasses, and a touch of chili. Serve alongside grilled meats or with warm bread as a lively side.
Ingredients
produce
- 3tomatoes
- 1red bell pepper
- 0.5onion
- 1 clovegarlic
- 0.25 cupfresh parsley
- 0.5lemon
pantry
- 1 tbsppomegranate molasses
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 0.5 tspred pepper flakes
- 0.25 tspground cumin
Steps
- Finely dice the tomatoes, red bell pepper, and onion.
- Mince the garlic and chop the parsley.
- Combine the tomatoes, pepper, onion, garlic, and parsley in a mixing bowl.
- Add the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and cumin.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt to taste.
- Stir everything together, mashing gently with the back of a spoon to release the juices.
- Cover and let the mixture rest for at least 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, lemon, or molasses as needed.
- Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with a little extra olive oil before serving with warm bread.
Tips
- Chop the vegetables very finely by hand rather than using a food processor, which can turn them mushy.
- Let the ezme sit for at least 10 minutes before serving so the flavors have time to meld.
- Pomegranate molasses is key to the tangy-sweet flavor — do not substitute regular molasses.
- Adjust the chili paste or flakes to control the heat level for your table.
