Carrot Dip (Yoghurtlu Havuc)

Last year, as part of my trip to Greece, I also made a side trip to visit the enchanting city of Istanbul (Constantinople).

I went to visit this great city as a Greek, as a lover of travel, culture, history and to sample the local cuisine.

Much like the Greeks, Turks also enjoy sampling an array of appetizers (mezedes) as part of the long course of eating, drinking and talking.

One of the dips that I tried and very much enjoyed was this carrot dip. I was drawn to trying it because I've never had it and the brilliant orange piqued my curiousity.

This dip is carrot heavy but that's okay. This root vegetable is a biennial plant, they can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, grated, fried, juiced, steamed or most importantly - essential for a good stock.

Carrots get their orange colour from beta-carotene which is then metabolized by humans into Vitamin A. Carrots are my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, founded by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and hosted this time 'round by Claudia of Fool For Food.

This carrot dip celebrates the carrot in it's brilliant colour and flavour. Make no doubt, carrot is the dominant flavour here but I've given this dip a nice kick that I'm sure will be a hit at your next party.

I've tweaked the classic Turkish recipe by adding cumin and some Harissa. I think my instincts were "bang on" as I was also told by a recent aquaintence that the Turks have condiment that's similar to Harissa called "biber salçası".

With this carrot dip, you'll first notice the sweetness of the carrot but the tart strained Greek yogurt along with the Harissa and cumin will balance off the flavour and make this quite the savory dip.

Finally, do garnish this dip with black olives...they serve more than just as a garnish. Scoop some dip with pita bread, take a bite and then have a bite of the black olive. The sweet carrot and salty olive play off well against each other.

Carrot Dip (Yoghurtlu Havuc)

6 carrots
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Harissa paste
300gr. strained Greek yogurt
Pinch of salt
Black olives
extra-virgin olive oil for garnish
sweet paprika for garnish

1. Coarsely grate the carrots and cook in a skillet along with the olive oil, onion and smashed garlic until just softened (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, grate the remaining clove of garlic into the yogurt, add salt, cumin and mix well.
   
3. Add cooked carrot mixture (mash garlic with a fork) and stir to combine.
   
4. Garnish with olives, sweet paprika and a little drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
   

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