Purslane with Yogurt & Garlic (Yoğurtlu Semizotu)

You know the routine by now - it's the usual salted and garlicked Turkish yogurt and vegetable meze dish, this time with purslane. Our garden is churning out the purslane, if nothing else, so here it is. We also just pulled the garlic so the garlic is fresh and lively. 

2 to 4 servings
you'd better allow at least an hour for all the messing around;
about 10 or 15 minutes actual prep time

1 cup purslane leaves
1 cup thick yogurt
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 small clove of garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
pita or baguette

Collect the purslane. It should be soaked in cold salt water for 15 minutes, then remove and keep all the tender leaves in good condition, as well as the tender tips of the stems. Discard the roots, tough stems, and any damaged leaves. In my experience, this means I need to start with about 4 cups of purslane plants to get 1 cup of usable leaves. Drain very well.

Strain the yogurt for half an hour, discarding any liquid extracted. The best way to do this is in a sieve lined with a couple of coffee filters.

Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic and mix it with the salt in a small bowl. Add the strained yogurt and the dried purslane. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and mix well. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle the final teaspoon of olive oil over the yogurt. Serve with bread.

This is probably better for being made an hour or two in advance; keep it cool until needed but it should not be chilled when served.




Last year at this time I made Mid to Late Summer Hodge-Podge.

Posted in: Ontario Food