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1
Peel and Chop the Tomatoes
8 Mins
No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Score a small cross on each tomato, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then slip off the skins. Halve the tomatoes, squeeze out the excess seeds and juice, and chop the flesh as finely as you can — pieces no bigger than a grain of rice.
Squeeze out the juice and seeds, or the dip turns watery. Keep a little juice back and add it later only if the dip looks dry.
Done when: A small pile of fine, even tomato pieces with no big chunks
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2
Chop the Onion, Peppers and Herbs
7 Mins
No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Peel and finely chop the red onion. Remove the seeds and white ribs from the green and red peppers and chop them the same way. Wash and dry the parsley, chop it finely, and mince the garlic to a paste. Put everything in a bowl with the tomato.
Dry the parsley well — water on the leaves dilutes the dressing and dulls the colour.
Done when: All the pieces the same tiny size, evenly mixed with the tomato
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3
Whisk the Dressing
3 Mins
No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
In a small bowl, whisk the tomato paste, red pepper paste, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt, pul biber, sumac and dried mint until smooth and glossy. Taste it — it should be sour, a little sweet and clearly hot.
If it tastes flat, add a little more lemon juice or pomegranate molasses; if it is too hot, add a little more olive oil.
Done when: A smooth, glossy, deep red dressing
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4
Combine and Rest
12 Mins
No heat — rest at room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Pour the dressing over the chopped vegetables, add the parsley and mix well. Let the dip rest for 10 minutes at room temperature so the onion softens and the dressing soaks into the tomato.
The rest matters — it turns a pile of chopped vegetables into a proper dip.
Done when: Vegetables glossy and evenly coated, with a little dressing pooling at the bottom
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5
Garnish and Serve
2 Mins
No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Spoon the ezme onto a shallow plate, scatter the chopped walnuts and a little extra parsley on top, and drizzle over a little more pomegranate molasses. Serve with warm pita or lavaş bread.
Serve it the same day — the vegetables weep after a night in the fridge and the dip loses its bite.
Done when: Bright red, fresh-smelling and ready to scoop
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon the ezme onto a shallow plate, scatter the chopped walnuts and parsley over the top, drizzle a little more pomegranate molasses, and set out warm pita or lavaş for scooping.
Turkey
50m
