Turkish Pide

Let me just preface this post by saying that what you are about to see is RIDICULOUSLY delicious!! Unless you are well versed in your Eastern Europe/ southwestern Asian cuisine, you might not have heard of pide. Instead of pitying you, I will show you the following picture and guide you to enlightenment.

It's basically a lamb flatbread, but with the right veggies and seasonings is simply fabulous. For me, it brings back memories of Istanbul, drinking raki on a rooftop bar in Taksim, enjoying time with my students in Sirinevler, or scouring the Egyptian Bazaar for fascinating finds. Istanbul was such a fun stint in my teaching-English days, and the wonderful thing about making this dish is that it brings back all the memories. 

This is a traditional food, found pretty much on every corner in Turkey. I used the dough recipie below. I rolled it out thin to make 4 long boat shaped pide. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/20171/quick-and-easy-pizza-crust/

Turkish Pide

Serves 4

1 lb ground lamb

1 small yellow onion

1 can diced tomatoes 

3 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tbsp basalmic vinegar 

2 tbsp of chopped parsley

2 tbsp of chopped mint

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne

Salt and pepper

Parmesan (if desired)

First, finely chop the onion. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil to the pan with the onions and sauté for about 5-7 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Drain the can of tomatoes of the juices and add to the pan, along with the wine and basalmic vinegar. Cook these down until all liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat about allow to cool. 

Meanwhile. Prepare the dough recipe above.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare the rest of the filling. Combine the ground lamb, herbs, and spices. When cooled, add in the tomatoe mixture. Layer the filling over the dough and fold in the edges. Brush sides with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 

Top with Parmesan (if desired) and enjoy!