Bostana salatası – orchard salad with pomegranate molasses recipe by Özlem Warren

This is a juicy, refreshing salad from the Urfa region in the southeast of Turkey. Vegetables are cut very finely in this salad, and purslane or cucumber can be added, too. I love the refreshing fresh mint and parsley, and the tanginess from the lemon and pomegranate molasses – the juice of unripe, sour grapes or plum can be used instead when in season. Locals may also add ice cubes to the salad, turning it into cold soup to eat with a spoon when it’s very hot. Olive oil is not used in bostana traditionally, but you can drizzle a little over before serving, if you wish.
Serves 4-6onion ½ medium, finely choppedsea salt and freshly ground black pepper to tastegreen pepper 1 medium, or 2 pointed peppers (sivri biber), deseeded and finely choppedspring onions 3, trimmed and finely choppedripe tomatoes 3 medium, finely choppedflat-leaf parsley a small bunch, finely choppedfresh mint leaves 1 tbsp, finely chopped pomegranate molasses 1 tbspfresh lemon juice 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds 60g
Place the chopped onions in a large bowl and sprinkle a little salt over. Rub the salt into the onions with your hands for a minute to soften. Stir in the green pepper, spring onions, tomatoes, parsley and mint, and combine well.
In a small bowl, mix the pomegranate molasses with the lemon juice. Pour over the salad, season with salt and pepper, and combine well. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over, gently combine and serve.
This refreshing salad is a fantastic side to casseroles, böreks, or as meze. I also love it over toasted bread or flatbreads, combined with muhammara.
From Sebze by Özlem Warren (Hardie Grant, £28)