Zucchini Salad with Yogurt (Yoğurtlu Kabak Salatası)

Zucchini salad with yogurt is a favorite summer time cold delicacy. It is served as a side dish at afternoon tea gatherings along with any kind of pogacas or filo dough pastries, or as a meze/appetizer at dinner. You can serve it with grilled meat or simply as a side to anything you want. I love this salad as lunch on toasted bread and sometimes with crumbled white cheese/feta on top. It is quite easy and quick to make and simply delicious. Even those who do not like zucchini enjoy this salad. In Turkish cuisine to have a zucchini dish without fresh dill or mint is unheard-of. For this salad it's common to use both fresh mint and dill. If you do not like one of them you can leave that one out, but only one. Zucchini salad has to have at least one fresh herb.

serves 4
3 medium size zucchini, coarsely grated (makes approximately 3 cups)
2/3 cup thick plain yogurt )enough to barely cover zucchini, not much)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of minced garlic, depending on how much you like garlic
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/8 cup or as much as you want fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tsp mint flakes or 1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
salt

optional
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

-Grate zucchinis in a bowl. Squeeze grated zucchini by hand and drain excessive juice.
-Heat olive oil in a pan. Add zucchini and cook for 5-6 minutes or until wılted and tender stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool down.
-Mix yogurt, minced garlic and a pinch of salt well in a bowl.
-When zucchini cools down, mix zucchini, walnuts, dill, mint, salt, and the garlicy yogurt.
-Serve cold.