Pancar Salatası

Pancar Salatası is a Turkish beetroot salad with yoghurt, garlic and fresh herbs. The sweet, earthy flavour of beetroot goes well with the fresh yoghurt and the gentle aroma of dill. Serve the salad cold as a meze or as a side dish with grilled meat or fish.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 45–60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 medium beetroot
• 200 ml thick Turkish yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt
• Fresh dill
• A few sprigs of parsley, optional
• 30–40 g walnuts

Preparation

1. Cook the beetroot
   Cook the beetroot in their skins for 45–60 minutes until tender, or roast them wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven at 200 °C until soft.
2. Prepare the beetroot
   Leave the beetroot to cool, peel them and cut them into small cubes.
3. Peel the garlic
   Peel the garlic.
4. Chop the herbs
   Wash the herbs and chop them finely.
5. Chop the walnuts
   Roughly chop the walnuts.

Method

1. Crush the garlic
   Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt.
2. Mix the yoghurt sauce
   Mix the yoghurt with the garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the lemon juice.
3. Add the beetroot
   Stir the beetroot cubes into the yoghurt sauce.
4. Season to taste
   Season to taste with salt.
5. Spoon the salad into a dish
   Spoon the salad into a serving dish.
6. Garnish
   Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and garnish with dill, parsley if using, and the chopped walnuts.