Name: Tarator (Creamy Turkish Dip)
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces; ¾ cup water , plus extra as needed; 1 cup blanched almonds , blanched hazelnuts, pine nuts, or walnuts, toasted; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons lemon juice , plus extra as needed; 1 small garlic clove; Salt and pepper; Pinch cayenne pepper

Why This Recipe Works

We made the base for the sauce by mashing torn pieces of white bread and water together into a paste. We then pulsed the paste in the blender with nuts, olive oil, garlic, and lemon. A pinch of cayenne contributed some welcome heat. With our simple method in place, we had some choices to make in determining our sauce's flavor profile. Some recipes call for hazelnuts, but our research also turned up versions made with almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts. We made batches with all four nuts and found that they worked equally well in the recipe. Next, we compared toasted and untoasted nuts in a side-by-side tasting. We concluded that toasting the nuts was essential; it brought out their complexity, deepened the sauce's overall flavor, and drew an even greater contrast with the lemon and garlic. Quickly whirred together, the sauce's components blended into a warming, rich accompaniment to our favorite meze platter items.

Before You Begin

If using almonds or hazelnuts, make sure they are skinless. Serve with pita chips, fresh warm pita, raw vegetables, or fresh seafood.

Instructions

With fork, mash bread and water together in bowl into paste. Process bread mixture, nuts, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add extra water as needed until sauce is barely thicker than consistency of heavy cream.

Season with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. Serve at room temperature. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)