Roasted Vegetables With Cilantro Yogurt
The vegetables for Turkish turlu turlu are sometimes stewed, sometimes roasted; we chose the latter approach, as we’re fond of the browning and flavor concentration that results from cooking in the dry heat of the oven.
You can choose from vegetables of all sorts — from turnips to okra — to go into turlu turlu. For our version, we limit it to a few types of produce with similar cooking times and complementary flavors and textures. Earthy, mildly spicy Aleppo pepper (or paprika mixed with cayenne), coriander, and cinnamon perfume the vegetables, their flavors blooming during roasting. A final flourish of yogurt mixed with cilantro is by no means traditional (cilantro isn’t often used in Turkish cuisine), but we think it adds a bright, creamy counterpoint to the deeply flavorful veggies.
A baking sheet or a low-sided pan isn’t a good choice for this recipe; the higher sides of a roasting pan slow the rate of moisture evaporation so the vegetables don’t dry out before they’re fully tender. We use a 3-inch-deep roasting pan that measures 13-by-15 inches.
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper or 1 tablespoon sweet paprika plus ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 1-pound eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 medium red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
1 medium poblano chili or red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch wedges
8 ounces green beans, trimmed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup whole-milk or low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1½ cups lightly packed cilantro, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 500 degrees with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, Aleppo pepper, coriander, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper.
In a roasting pan, combine the eggplant, onions, chili, and green beans. Add the spiced oil, toss until the vegetables are coated, and then distribute in an even layer. Scatter the tomatoes over them. Roast, stirring every 15 minutes, until browned and tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
While the vegetables cook, in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, cilantro, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; set aside until ready to serve. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a serving platter and dollop with the cilantro yogurt.
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