Pide - Turkish Pizza

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When traveling, those of us who have replaced backpacks and hostels with more upscale arrangements are often shortchanged. While accommodations may be more comfortable, it can be difficult for tourists to get a feel for the food of the areas they are visiting. In an effort to please everyone, hotel dining rooms have dumbed down the food they serve and those who want to sample local fare often have to hit the streets in order to find it. While our hotels in Turkey served wonderful food, it was usually an adaption of Turkish food and both Bob and I preferred the more authentic street food and meals we found on our own. We were also extremely fortunate to have a guide whose plans for us included wonderful lunches in Turkish homes and local restaurants. One of the dishes she introduced us to was pide, the Turkish equivalent of pizza. Pide is made in wood-fired ovens and while it is bears some resemblance to pizza, it is not as heavy. An assortment of ingredients can be used to top it and it makes an extremely satisfying meal that is inexpensive and a lunchtime favorite in areas where it can be found. I thought you might enjoy it as well, so I wanted to pass the recipe on to you. I have included instructions for making the dough that forms the pide base, but the world will not end if you use a commercially prepared equivalent. My only caution is to keep the crust thin. This is an interesting dish and I think you will enjoy it. Here's how it is made.


Pide - Turkish Pizza...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Dough

Ingredients: (makes approx four Pide bases)
2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup warm water or milk
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1) Sprinkle yeast on top of water or milk. Stir in sugar and let sit until mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
2) In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in yeast and olive oil and mix until well-blended. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3) Return dough to bowl. Dust top with flour and cover bowl with clear plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Let sit in a warm spot until dough is 50 % higher than before, about 20 minutes.
4) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
5) Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and kneed each of them on a lightly floured surface to eliminate air bubbles. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into an elongated oval or rectangle.
6) Using one of the toppings below, spread each piece to within 1-inch of edges. Crimp edges and brush with olive oil. Transfer to a baking sheet if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes on a baking sheet or directly on oven racks.

Meat Topping

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 peeled and diced tomato
1 sweet bell pepper, finely diced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, spread thinly over dough. Bake as instructed above.

Cheese Topping

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (15-oz.) can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Black olives
Oregano
Coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:
Saute onions in olive oil until transparent, add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant. Add tomatoes, and let mixture cook until most of juice has evaporated. Spread sauce on top of pide. Top with black olives and some of the feta and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with oregano and black pepper to taste.Bake as directed above.







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