Globecooking recipe : Pide - Turkish pizza (Turkey)

I first discovered (and told you about) pide or Turkish pizza when we were in Kusadasi on holiday and shared platefuls of it at the snack bar. I've been playing around with the recipe and think I have it tasting pretty authentic now. You could put whatever you like in it though - they also did a cheese version that was equally tasty.

 Pide - Turkish pizza

ingredients :

500g bread mix (I used focaccia)

600g beef mince

2 onions

1 clove garlic

tin of chopped tomatoes (or baby plum tomatoes)

3tbsp tomato concentrate

1/4 red pepper

1/4 green pepper

2tbsp sumac

1tbsp dried basil

1tbsp berberé (or smoked paprika)

drizzle of chilli-infused olive oil

drizzle of pomegranate molasses (optional)

I went for the lazy easy option and used half a bag (500g) of Lidl Focaccia mix in the bread machine on the pizza dough programme (50 minutes) while I sorted out the topping. You could make it by hand though.

Finely chop the garlic, onion and peppers and mix in with the minced beef.

 Add a tin of chopped tomatoes - I used baby plum tomatoes to give it a nice chunky texture.

Stir in the tomato concentrate for extra richness.

 Add the seasoning - sumac and basil are traditional, berberé isn't (I was clearing out my spice rack) so feel free to use whatever you have to hand. Smoked paprika and cumin would work well too.

Add a drizzle of olive oil (I used chilli infused oil to give it a little kick) and I stirred in some pomegranate molasses that I brought back from Turkey, which adds a sweet tartness.

I originally planned on using it raw as a topping then changed my mind at the last minute and cooked it all and left it to cool. I think this was the better option because it meant I could taste it and adjust the seasoning.

Once the pizza dough has finished rising, tip it out onto a floured surface, shape it into a log and chop it into several equal-sized pieces.

Use your hands to squish the dough out until it's flat and roughly rectangular.

Transfer the dough to a baking tray and place spoonfuls of meat topping all over, leaving a 2cm margin all the way round (as in the bottom one). Use your fingers to pinch the extremities into a point, then press the edges up and over the filliing, at the same time pressing the meat topping flat. It should end up resembling an elongated boat (as in the top one).

  

As I didn't have an authentic wood-burning oven like the pizza chef in Turkey, I popped them in the oven at 200° for 20 minutes until the dough was cooked through and golden brown.

Cut into slices and drizzle with extra pomegranate molasses if you have some - or you could sprinkle with parmesan if you haven't.

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Fancy trying some more Turkish cuisine? How about Baklava, Gözleme, Kofte or Menemen?

Adding to this month's #KitchenClearout because it cleared out my spice rack and used up some pomegranate molasses that I brought back from Turkey last year.