Well I am going to give the credit to Andrea at FFC for getting me to stop and notice the purslane at the Hollywood Farmers Market today. But the inspiration for this salad came from an entire country. The country of Turkey. I have been quite interested in Turkish food lately and have been experimenting with these flavors quite a bit. But I am not going to give the Turks all the credit for today's recipe. Because in some ways it's original to me. Or at least I, to suit the meal I am planning tonight, have reinterpreted it.

I am serving a tasty mixture of purslane, cucumber, tomato and jalapeño as a salad. The type you would eat with a fork. Or at least I would eat it with a fork. But my salad is actually based on a relish you might find in most any tavern or restaurant in Istanbul. It often accompanies grilled meat– especially kebabs. The Turkish version is finely chopped and most typically eaten with a spoon, as are many side dishes in Turkish cuisine.

But I am going to a BBQ tonight at a friend's house so I have left mine chunky so as to be familiar to its intended American audience as a (semi) standard, super flavorful, conversation starting– purslane weed whacker salad.

Spicy Purslane, Tomato, Cucumber, Mint, and Parsley Salad serves 6 CLICK here for a printable recipe Inspired by the cookbook Mediterranean Hot & Spicy

• 2 c cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1⁄2 english cucumber, quartered lengthwise and finely sliced crosswise
• 2 c tightly packed purslane leaves and small branches
• 3 scallions, including most of the green, thinly sliced
• 3 T chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 T fresh thyme leaves
• 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely diced
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 2 t lemon zest, finely grated
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pinch of sumac (optional)
• 1 c tightly packed coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley