Turşu belongs at the center, not the edge

Güneybağ pickles are brined the old way — short, salty, snappy. That brine is liquid gold. Here are five ideas that take pickles out of the "side dish" ghetto and into your actual cooking.

1. Pickle-brine vinaigrette

Whisk 2 tbsp pickle brine, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Dijon, a pinch of sugar. Pour over boiled potatoes, tuna salads, chopped cucumbers. Done.

2. Tavuk turşu — pickle-brined chicken

Soak boneless chicken thighs in half pickle-brine, half buttermilk for 8 hours. Dredge in flour with pul biber. Shallow-fry. The brine tenderizes and seasons at the same time.

3. Turşu salatası — the five-minute mezze

Chop pickles small, add diced tomato, red onion, pul biber, olive oil, a squeeze of lemon. That is the salad. Eat with rakı or next to rice.

4. Pickle butter for steak

Soften butter, mash in finely chopped pickles and a garlic clove. Top grilled meat while it rests. Cuts the fat. Lifts the flavor.

5. In a cheese toastie

Pide bread, kaşar, a layer of chopped pickles, a second layer of tomato. Press. The pickles become the whole point.

What makes Güneybağ different