Beetroot and yoghurt seem to be a match made in heaven. The sweetness of the beetroot complements the natural tartness of the yoghurt. Various combinations are found all over the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. For some reason it's also very popular in Sweden. I've presented two recipes here: the absolute simplest and a delicious posh version that's just scrumptious.
The unusual thing about Moroccan and other North African salads is that the ingredients are cooked first, allowed to cool and then assembled into a salad. This probably has to do with climate. However, once the initial reluctance has been overcome, one quickly realises that this preparation method allows more complex flavours to be achieved. The Germans also have quite a few salads based on cooked vegetables such as french beans and of course their fantastic potato salads. This carrot salad is delicious and the lemon juice in the dressing acts as the perfect foil to the sweetness of the carrots.
I came across this Turkish salad in the excellent Moro cookbook. Walnuts feature a lot in Turkish cuisine, as does pomegranate molasses, although this is even more common in Persian dishes. The dish is simple to prepare: just make sure the tomatoes are ripe, in any case riper than those in the photo. Pomegranate molasses can be found in most Middle Eastern food shops: the Iranian 1 & 1 brand is very good. You can substitute ingredients in many dishes but I haven't come across anything else quite like pomegranate molasses. It's worth looking for and a bottle keeps for ages.
This great salad is based on a North-African recipe presented by Claudia Roden in her book Arabesque. Her version used plain roasted red peppers but I find the flavour of the Piquillo peppers adds a new dimension to the dish. These peppers come from northern Spain and after roasting over a wood fire are peeled and preserved in cans. They have a complex slightly smoky and very slightly spicy flavour. You won't find them in the supermarket but you should be able to source them from Spanish delis or other specialist food shops. As mentioned above, if you can't find them, don't panic, just substitute roasted red peppers. Preserved lemons are used extensively in North-African cuisine and have a very distinctive, but non-lemony, flavour. Try to use capers preserved in salt as these tend to have a better texture than those in brine or vinegar.
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