Cooking with Ozlem -Sautéed carrots and courgette/zucchini with walnuts in yoghurt

“This is a much-loved meze at home; the sweetness of sautéed carrots and courgette/zucchini works so well in garlicky yoghurt with dill. I added chopped gherkins, our tursu here (capers would work well too) here for a touch of tanginess and crunchy walnuts for added texture and flavour. A delicious dip that you can serve as part of your meze spread, great with grills and pasta too. You can prepare this meze ahead of time and store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days”. – Ozlem Warren

Sautéed carrots and courgette/zucchini with walnuts in yoghurt – Yogurtlu havuc ve kabak salatası

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 medium courgette/zucchini, grated
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 45ml/3 tbsp olive oil
• 15ml/1 tbsp chopped gherkins or capers
• 45ml / 3 tbsp chopped walnuts
• 230g/8 oz strained or whole milk yoghurt
• 45ml / 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the grated courgette/zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with a little salt and leave to drain for 10 minutes. Using a tea towel or sturdy paper towels, really squeeze out any excess juice from the courgette/zucchini and put it in a large bowl. Combine the grated carrots with the courgette in the bowl.
2. Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan and sauté the grated carrots and courgette for 3-4 minutes, over medium to high heat. Stir in the garlic, season with salt and ground black pepper and sauté for a further 4 minutes. The vegetables will soften up but still be a little crunchy. Turn off the heat and leave them aside to cool in a large bowl.
3. Once cool, add the chopped gherkins or capers and dill to the sautéed carrots and courgette and stir. Fold in the yoghurt and chopped walnuts, and combine well. Season with salt and black pepper, if needed.
4. Spread over a serving plate, with a few pieces of chopped walnuts over the top, if you like. 

Afiyet Olsun.

Another version of this dip, with Sauteed carrots in garlicky yoghurt and parsley, can be found in Ozlem’s cookery book which is available at this link.