Roasted Cauliflower with Musa’s Zahter Relish

Musa Dağdeviren is the most inspired and inspiring chef I know. I am dying to be able to converse with him in Turkish, the only language he speaks. Tasting his food at Ciya Kebab and Ciya Sofrasi, in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district, I was bowled over by the enticing and complex flavors he creates in dishes that look simple and straightforward, like this refreshing zahter relish: a fragrant, tangy mixture of minced aromatic eastern Mediterranean thyme shoots (zahter in Turki