Ezme

A vibrant Turkish appetizer made from fresh vegetables with spicy red pepper paste, pomegranate sauce, and oriental spices. Perfect served with bread or as a dip for vegetables.

Ingredients

• 3 pcs Tomatoes
• 1 pcs Sweet red bell pepper
• 1 pcs Green hot pepper
• 1 pcs Onion
• 2 clove Garlic
• 25 g Fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp Red pepper paste
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Pomegranate sauce
• 1 tbsp Pul biber (hot pepper flakes)
• 2 tsp Sumac
• 1 tbsp Dried mint
• 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and both types of pepper and place in a food processor. Pulse until finely minced, then transfer to a sieve set over a bowl and let the juices drain for approximately 10–15 minutes.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is uniform and set aside.
3. In a serving bowl, combine the red pepper paste, tomato paste, pomegranate sauce, pul biber, sumac, dried mint, and most of the olive oil (approximately 50 ml). Mix well until you have a sauce.
4. Add the drained pepper-tomato mixture and the minced onion, garlic, and parsley blend to the sauce. Season to taste with salt (approximately 1 teaspoon sea salt) and mix thoroughly. Before serving, drizzle with the remaining olive oil.