{turkish} tomato walnut salad with pomegranate dressing

my sister came back from her recent trip to Istanbul clearly in love with the city. she brought back great stories, a beautiful tea set, considerable amounts of a red colored spice mixture (aci bibar) that is apparently used on everything there, and the recipe for an addictive tomato walnut salad with pomegranate molasses (rob-e-anar in farsi) dressing. i've been wanting to make this salad ever since i first  tasted it, but somehow i'm always missing an ingredient or two. tonight, having come back from a deliciously fun and food filled trip to New York city (i'm baaaack!) where i may have just eaten my way through the city (a few pics to follow), i was craving a light and healthy dinner (for obvious reasons). i'd already started chopping the tomatoes and walnuts when i realized i was out of parsley (a pretty important ingredient), so i served the parsley-less salad over a bed of arugula as a substitute. it was actually a good idea, and we're feeling light and satisfied-but i can't lie-i'm still (so) missing that delicious new york city food (and yes, the friends too)!

recipe for 4 servings:

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, finely cubed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
• 3-4 scallions, cut in half then thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• fresh arugula (optional-served under the salad)

for dressing:

• 2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbs pomegranate molasses (or reduced pomegranate juice)
• 1-2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
• sea salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

grainy pictures from my favorite (and unforgettable) meal in nyc-these dumplings were beyond delicious and fragrant-they contained a most delicate broth inside that you had to carefully sip from the top before biting in. ahhhhhhhhh.