Open-Wide Pide :)

Mar 11, 2011

Open-Wide Pide :)

HAPPY 43RD BIRTHDAY TO MY MUM!!!

I love exposing my mum to new types of food. It's one of the things that got me into cooking, and it's an absolute pleasure when I see her tucking in to one of my (or Stephen's) meals with enthusiasm.

Today for her birthday, we thought we'd introduce her to the Turkish Pide. Because we don't have a skillet big enough, we used our barbecue, and made them open (as opposed to "closed", when they're folded over) in deference to the delicious pide we've had at Gozde.

We made two varieties, a classic spinach and cheese, and a chorizo and caramelised onion with danish feta that was inspired by Bill Granger's Flatbread recipe. They were delicious! The dough cooked over our coals was fantastic, crisp and crunchy on the outside and puffing up beautifully within. I found that the toppings went really well with the bases, and so did my mum :)

Spinach and Cheese Open Pide Recipe

INGREDIENTS

650g plain flour
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil
500mL lukewarm water

Topping

6 leaves of spinach, chopped
300g of mozzarella cheese, plus more to top
2 eggs

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Stir the yeast, sugar and half the oil into the lukewarm water, then pour into the well of flour. Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients together to form a dough.

2. Tip the dough onto a floured bench and kneed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to the bench. Add more flour if needed. Leave dough to rise on the bench for 15 minutes under a dry tea towel, then divide dough into 8 pieces and leave to rise again for 25 minutes under the same tea towel.

3. Punch the dough down with your fist, then spread out into rough rectangles approximately a centimetre in thickness using your fingers to gently stretch the dough. Meanwhile, combine the spinach, cheese and egg in a bowl and keep to the side. Brush each piece of dough with some of the remaining olive oil, then cook on a heated barbecue (preferably coal) for about 3 - 5 minutes, until the uncooked surface starts bubbling.

4. When you turn the dough over to cook the other side, spread the spinach mixture over the cooked side, spread a little extra cheese on the top, then place the lid over the barbecue and cook for a further 3 - 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted. Serve with lemon wedges.

Our other topping was inspired by Bill Granger's recipe for Flatbread, which is similar to pide - we used chorizo sausage, sun-dried tomato pesto, caramelised onion, danish feta and parsley: