I don’t always have the time to cook when I arrive home from work. And if there isn’t anything left over from the previous day, my choice for a quick & light dinner is usually a sandwich with cacik on the side. Tonight’s sandwich was smoked turkey with avocado.
Cacik (closest pronounciation is “Jahjik”) is a traditional Turkish meze (appetizer), which is made of yogurt, cucumber, water, garlic and your choice of spices. It is much more diluted than its Greek version Tzatziki. Its consistency, the way cucumbers are chopped, amount of garlic and your choice of spices added all differ according to individual taste. You will find below my version of this extremely refreshing goodness.
SMOKED TURKEY AND AVOCADO SANDWICH RECIPE
Ingredients (serves 1)
- 2 slices of rye bread
- 2 slices of smoked Gouda cheese
- 4 slices of smoked turkey
- 1 teaspoon tahini
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Method
Toast the bread lightly. Mash the avocado, mustard, olive oil and vinegar together with a fork. Spread tahini on one slice and the avocado mixture on the other. Place slices of cheese and turkey and cut the sandwich in half. Enjoy!
CACIK RECIPE
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 2 cups yogurt
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 ice cubes
- 1 clove of garlic (minced)
- 1 medium sized cucumber
- 1 tablespoon dried mint flakes
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Method
- Transfer yogurt, water, garlic and dried mint flakes into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Skin the cucumber, dice into tiny pieces (you may also grate them) and toss them into the mixing bowl. Taste and add salt to your liking.
- Divide it into two serving bowls. Throw in two ice cubes for each bowl (this will keep your cacik cold until you finish it).
- Mix the cayenne pepper with extra virgin olive oil, drizzle on top and garnish with extra mint flakes. Enjoy!
Come’on! Your readers demand veggie recipes!!!
Hi Cenk, your site is lovely – I like tzatziki and am intrigued by this cacik too! Happy blogging and look forward to more of your beautiful posts (love the second picture, really sweet :))
I like the dog in the pic. you have good sense of humor.