Beyin Salatasi

Brains have a reputation for being heavy, rich and generally the sort of ingredient that requires a certain amount of emotional preparation. Beyin Salatası takes a rather different approach.

The lamb brains are gently poached with vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorns and lemon zest, cooled, sliced and then treated almost like the delicate ingredient they actually are. Lots of parsley and spring onion, sharp lemon and vinegar, raw garlic and olive oil do most of the work around them. The result is creamy and incredibly soft, but also bright, acidic and surprisingly fresh.

It is a classic Turkish meyhane dish, and a useful reminder that offal doesn't always need to arrive fried, heavily spiced or disguised beneath a formidable gravy.

Sometimes a brain just needs a good salad.