This salad was inspired by my recent visit to an ancient town in Turkey called Kusadasi! A gorgeous seaside resort on the Aegean Sea located near the historical city of Ephesus. Rich fields of olive trees, grape vines, fig, peach, apricot & apple trees surround this scenic city.
Cuisine of Kusadasi is very much influenced by nearby Greek Island of Samos which is only an hour & thirty minutes ferry ride away. Every day we were treated to a lavish breakfast, lunch & dinner with a bounty of fresh fruits, Greek & Turkish yogurts with sweet honey, dried fruits and nuts. This salad is an homage to the enchanting city of Kusadasi, Turkey!
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selcuk Izmir Province, Turkey.
Ephesus contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated. The ruins that are visible give some idea of the city’s original splendor, and the names associated with the ruins are evocative of its former life. The theater dominates the view down Harbor Street.
The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple was destroyed in 401 AD. Emperor Constantine rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD. The city’s importance was that it was a commercial center by the harbor on the Aegean Sea.
Today’s archaeological site lies 5 miles southwest of the town of Selcuk and nearby harbor city of Kusadasi.
Kusadasi is a resort town on Turkey’s Aegean coast and the center of the seaside district. Kusadasi caters to tourists, arriving by land, and as the port for cruise ships passengers heading to Ephesus.
Kusadasi has many beautiful public & private beaches. We stayed at Kismet Hotel, which is located on a peninsula that protrudes into the Aegean Sea. Our room over looked a private beach with a gorgeous view from our balcony. By the way Dr. Oz stayed at the same hotel and we took a picture of his photo displayed proudly at the hotel lobby!
APPLE & ENDIVE SALAD WITH DATES, POMEGRANATE, SUMAC AND HONEY WALNUT LABNEH
recipe inspired by Ana Sortun's book, Spice:Flavors of the Eastern Mediteranean
Serves 4
{Recipe for Homemade Labneh ~ A Yogurt Cheese}~ infused with Honey & Orange Blossom Water and Walnuts:
- 17.5 ounce fage all natural greek yogurt, strained overnight (you can also use any plain full fat yogurt}
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water {you may use 1/2 tsp vanilla instead of orange blossom water}
- 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, finely chopped
- You will need to strain & refrigerate the Greek yogurt overnight in a cheese cloth rolled up in a ball with a knot and hang it up or place it in a strainer with a bowl underneath. Before placing the yogurt in the fridge try to squeeze as much of the water out as you can.{Please Note} You can certainly skip this step and buy Labneh ready made from a specialty shop! I have seen Labneh at Middle Eastern grocers.
- Next day before serving the salad, In a bowl add Labneh, honey, orange blossom water & finely chopped walnuts and mix well until all of the ingredients are infused well. Refrigerate again until you are ready to assemble the salad.
- {PLEASE NOTE} You can spread this delicious Labneh on a Bagel {makes a healthy & tasty substitute to cream cheese}, also tasty on crusty bread or crackers! Makes a healthy snack!
- Most of the ingredients can be found in a supermarket. Turkish, Middle Eastern or Greek Markets. Also Williams Sonoma carries Sumac.
Apple and Endive Salad with Dates, Pomegranates, & Walnuts sprinkled w/ Sumac:
- 3 honey crisp variety of apples, cored, unpeeled, julienned (or any sweet apple of your choice}
- 4 medjool dates, pitted & sliced
- 4 tablespoons Pomegranate seeds
- 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice,reserve some extra if needed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 or less teaspoon sumac, only for sprinkling on top
- 4-5 smaller size endives, chopped & some leaves for presentation
- In a bowl add julienned apples and coat them with lemon juice to prevent the apples from oxidizing.
- Add the 3 chopped endives, dates, pomegranate seeds, chopped mint, chopped walnuts. Mix the honey, 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice & olive oil in a separate small bowl, whisk well and then add to the salad. Toss the salad well. {at this point you can add some more lemon juice if you feel the salad needs more citrus flavor}
- Plate the salad with 2 tablespoons of Labneh spread into a round disk like shape.
- Enjoy!
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
looks so scrumptious, I have to try it! and i like the dragonfly napkin ring!
I loved this recipe when u posted it on FOOD52! But I can’t wait to find some time and come back and read the post in peace. xoxo
Absolutely gorgeous plating and presentation! I can picture this beautiful salad being served at the finest restaurants.
Thanks Shrizat, Kulsum & Sylvie!
Such lovely photos of your trip (I am dying to travel to that part of the world) and the salad looks completely amazing!
Labneh is so fresh and pleasant. That salad is extremely refined and so original. A perfect combo!
I love Greece, but have not visited Ephesus.
Cheers,
Rosa
this salad is stunning, i love it! I need to make a trip to Turkey soon, inshallah. I’ve been wanting to for ages!
Love the salad, love the plate (and the plating) and the style. Sara it is just gorgeous in every way! and I want to go to Turkey.
You made me want to jump on a plane and go to visit this town in Turkey; I love Turkey dearly and want to go back many times. I also love the salad, how refined and delicious and your photos and styling is always a pleasure to the eyes.
I just love love love reading about the history of the place this recipe was inspired by, as well as the gorgeous photographs. I love how I usually have most of these ingredients on hand yet it makes such an impressive looking salad. Thanks for taking us to these wonderful places with your photos and recipes!
Thanks Winnie, Rosa, Nadia, Soma Joumana & Lani! You guys NEED to go to Turkey! It’s a beautiful country!!!
We loved Ephesus when we went. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time. It is fairly near Izmir, the town from where Giuliano’s ancestors are from. Your photos made me want to return and the salad is delightful. I like pomegranates but always weigh the difficulty of seeding with the pleasure of eating. I think this salad will be worth it.
What an elegant salad, Sara! And I love the addition of sumac for its tartness!
Turkey is on my list of must-visit countries. Labneh is so delicious. Topped with all these delicious ingredients it looks simply mouth-watering. I will make it soon!
Thank you Lael, Faith & Nisrine!
What beautiful photos! And the salad is stunning! Wow, a work of art almost too pretty to eat if it didn’t look so delicious. I really need to let you inspire me into using more exotic ingredients.
You have plated your salad beautifully Sara.I got introduced to Sumac recently and loved it.Sounds great with apples.Have a nice weekend.
Ciao Sara! This is one lovely salad!I could eat labneh every day. Will have to try your recipe. Such pretty photos also of Turkey! I hope to visit one day;)
I am so envious of your trip to beautiful Turkey! It looks like a wonderful place to visit and I’m glad you brought back this wonderful dish idea with you. I love dates and apples together. The combination is simply divine!
This is a lovely and flavorful salad. The combination is gorgeous.
Sara, I have been to Kusadasi years ago, what a lovely place, I hope I can visit again, meanwhile I really enjoyed your photos and post. The salad looks absolutely fantastic!
Hi, Sara. Thank you for your complimants for my beautifiul- beloved country.
Your photos and your recipes are great. Since then I’d like to follow your writing- recipes…
I’m from Türkiye. I’ve been living in Adana for 2 years.
Thank you for sharing.
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