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Savory Pastries

Turkish Flat Breads with Spinach, Feta and Peppers; Peynirli Pide

Turkish flatbreads with feta, spinach, onion and peppers; Peynirli ve Sebzeli Pide

Turkish flatbreads with feta, spinach, onion and peppers; Peynirli ve Sebzeli Pide

Pide is one of the most popular snacks and our slow cooked “fast food” in Turkey. In Rural Anatolia and at my home town Antakya, locals would prepare the filling and take it to their local bakery, firin to be baked as these delicious flat breads with toppings. There are also “Pideci” Turkish flat bread shops that solely bake and serve these flat breads. Great value, delicious and nutritious, we can’t get enough of pides.

Feta cheese, onions, spinach and peppers make a delicious vegetarian topping for the Pide, Turkish flat breads.

Feta cheese, onions, spinach and peppers make a delicious vegetarian topping for the Pide, Turkish flat breads with toppings.

Pide can be made in various toppings; some favorite toppings are ground meat & onion (here is recipe for the Turkish flat breads with ground meat and onion, Kiymali Pide),Turkish kasar (cheddar) cheese, feta cheese & spinach, cheese and pastrami (Turkish dried beef), cheese and Turkish spicy sauage (sucuk). Sometimes an egg or two can be cracked over pide towards the end of baking too, as in some examples of Karadeniz Pidesi a specialty of a pide prepared in the Black Sea region.

This pide recipe and many more are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, along with stunning photography and personal stories. Signed copies are available at this link and delivered worldwide including the USA.

Sade Peynirli pide; pide with mild cheddar cheese - one of the many we enjoyed while in Bodrum

Sade Peynirli pide; pide with mild cheddar cheese – one of the many we enjoyed while in Bodrum

We do enjoy this combination of spinach, feta, onions and pepper; sautéed onions and pepper add a delicious sweetness. There is also a gentle but lovely heat from the Turkish red pepper paste, biber salcasi (optional), for a delicious balance. You can also use grated mozarella or mild cheddar cheese instead of feta cheese. I hope you enjoy this vegetarian Turkish specialty, our version of pizza, packed with flavor and have a chance to recreate at home.

Turkish vegetarian flat breads with feta cheese, peppers, onion and spinach, Peynirli, Sebzeli Pide

Turkish vegetarian flat breads with feta cheese, peppers, onion and spinach, Peynirli, Sebzeli Pide

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

3.7 from 3 reviews
Turkish Flat Breads with Spinach, Feta and Peppers; Peynirli Pide
 
I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy to recreate Turkish flat breads with vegetarian toppings; Peynirli ve Sebzeli Pide. They are the ultimate snack and our "to go" food, our version of "Pizza". Spinach, feta cheese, onions, peppers and a hint of red pepper paste make a delicious, healthy vegetarian topping; a real crowd pleaser.
Author:
Recipe type: Turkish flat breads with vegetarian toppings
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 8 (makes 2 pides)
Ingredients
  • For the dough:
  • 300 gr/ 10½ oz + 2 tbsp. all-purpose plain flour
  • 14 gr/4 tsp. dried yeast (2 packs of 7gr dried yeast)
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 1tsp sea salt
  • 8 fl. oz. /1 cup warm water
  • 45ml/3 tbsp. olive oil
  • For the topping:
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 200 gr/7 oz. spinach leaves, washed and pat dried
  • 200gr/ 7 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut in half lengthways and thinly sliced
  • 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. Turkish red pepper paste (optional; you can use ½ tsp. if you prefer less spicy or omit)
  • 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt (optional, as feta cheese maybe quite salty too) and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 egg + 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil to brush the pide
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F
  2. Stir in the dried yeast and sugar in a small bowl and pour in ½ cup warm water. Dissolve the yeast in water, mixing with your fingers. Set aside for the yeast mixture to get frothy for 5 minutes.
  3. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in 2 tbsp. olive oil and the yeast mixture. Pour in the remaining ½ warm water to the flour mixture. Using your hands, draw in the flour from the sides and work the mixture into a dough. Knead for 3 -5 minutes, until you reach a soft, smooth dough. The dough gets sticky as you knead, so pour the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir in additional 2 tbsp. flour to help shape into a soft dough.
  4. Place the dough in large bowl and cover with a cling film. Leave it in a warm place for minimum 1 hour; it will be doubled in size.
  5. In the meantime, prepare your filling. Heat 15ml/1tbsp. olive oil in a wide heavy pan and stir in the onions and peppers. Sauté the onions and peppers for 3-5 minutes over medium heat, until they start to soften. Turn the heat off and stir in the spinach, red pepper paste (if using) and feta cheese, combine well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; the topping is ready.
  6. Once the dough is risen, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for a minute then divide the dough into two pieces and roll into two balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough balls into 2 oval shapes of 20 cm x 40 cm (about 8”x16”), with ½ cm (0.2”) thickness.
  7. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and place the 2 oval flat bread dough on the tray.
  8. Spread the filling evenly over the 2 flat breads, leaving 2 cm at the edges as a border with no filling (I’ve found it’s easier to spread the filling while the oval dough is in the tray). Fold in the sides to act as border to keep the filling intact. Squeeze the oval dough at each end to make it pointy.
  9. Beat an egg in a small bowl and mix it with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Brush the edges of dough with this mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, until the pides golden brown and crispy at the edges.
  10. Once cool, cut into slices and serve.
 

 

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Kiymali Pide; Turkish Flat bread with ground meat and vegetables

Kiymali Pide, Turkish oval flat breads with ground meat, onion, tomato and peppers

Kiymali Pide, Turkish oval flat breads with ground meat, onion, tomato and peppers

This Kiymali Pide, Turkish flat bread with ground meat and vegetables filling, is one of the most popular snacks and our slow cooked “fast food” in Turkey. In Rural Anatolia and at my home town Antakya, locals would prepare the filling and take it to their local bakery, firin, to be baked into delicious flatbreads with this topping over. There are also “Pideci” Turkish flat bread shops that solely bake and serve these flat breads along with piyaz or Coban Salata, Shepherd’s Salad; such delicious flavor combinations.

Traditional bakery, firin in Antakya. Bakers not only bake the bread but also flat breads with toppings that customers would bring.

Traditional bakery, firin in Antakya. Bakers not only bake the bread but also flat breads with toppings that customers would bring.

I am often asked the difference between pide and lahmacun, another national favorite. Lahmacun is also a flat bread with ground meat topping, but it is thinner and in round shape. We like to squeeze lemon over it liberally and roll it like a wrap to eat lahmacun. Pide is oval in shape, thicker and we serve in slices.

Shaping the flat breads; it is easier to spread the filling while the oval flat bread is on the tray.

Shaping the flat breads; it is easier to spread the filling while the oval flat bread is on the tray.

Pide can also be made in various toppings; some favorite toppings are ground meat & onion, Turkish kasar (cheddar) cheese & spinach, cheese and pastrami (Turkish dried beef), cheese and Turkish spicy sauage (sucuk). Sometimes an egg or two can be cracked over pide towards the end of baking too, as in some examples of Karadeniz Pidesi a specialty of a pide prepared in Black Sea region.

Kiymali Pide, Turkish flat breads with meat and vegetables topping, freshly baked

Kiymali Pide, Turkish flat breads with meat and vegetables topping, freshly baked

Making pide is actually much easier than you think – we made it at my recent Turkish cookery class and it was a big hit. I hope you enjoy this delicious Turkish specialty, our version of pizza, packed with flavor and have a chance to recreate at home.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table book, available to order at this link

Both vegetarian pide and with minced/ground meat topping are included at my Turkish cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are now 20 % OFF at this link and delivered worldwide including the US.

Kiymali Pide, sliced Turkish flat breads with ground meat topping, ready to serve.

Kiymali Pide, sliced Turkish flat breads with ground meat topping, ready to serve.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 11 reviews
Kiymali Pide; Turkish Flat bread with meat, onion and peppers
 
This Kiymali Pide, Turkish flat bread with ground meat and vegetables topping, is one of the most popular snacks and our slow cooked “fast food” in Turkey. In Rural Anatolia and at my home town Antakya, locals would prepare the filling and take it to their local bakery, firin, to be baked as these delicious flat breads with toppings. There are also “Pideci” Turkish flat bread shops that solely bake and serve these flat breads. I hope you enjoy this delicious Turkish specialty, our version of pizza, packed with flavor and have a chance to recreate at home.
Author:
Recipe type: Turkish flat breads with ground meat and vegetable topping; Kiymali Pide
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • For the dough:
  • 300 gr/ 10½ oz. / + 2 tbsp. all-purpose plain flour
  • 5ml/1 tsp. salt
  • 14 gr/4 tsp. dried yeast (2 packs of 7gr dried yeast)
  • 1 pinch of sugar
  • 8 fl. oz. /1 cup warm water
  • 45ml/3 tbsp. olive oil
  • For the topping:
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 400 gr/14 oz. ground beef or ground lamb or mixture
  • ½ green bell pepper or 1 green pointy pepper, finely diced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, deseeded and diced
  • 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt (5 ml/1 tsp. salt is recommended) and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 egg + 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil to brush the pide
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F
  2. Stir in the dried yeast and sugar in a small bowl and pour in ½ cup warm water. Dissolve the yeast in water, mixing with your fingers. Set aside for the yeast mixture to get frothy for 5 minutes.
  3. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
  4. Make a well in the middle and pour in 2 tbsp. olive oil and the yeast mixture.
  5. Pour in the remaining ½ warm water to the flour mixture. Using your hands, draw in the flour from the sides and work the mixture into a dough.
  6. Knead for 3 -5 minutes, until you reach a soft, smooth dough. The dough gets sticky as you knead, so pour the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir in additional 2 tbsp. flour to help shape into a soft dough.
  7. Place the dough in large bowl and cover with a cling film. Leave it in a warm place for 1 hour; it will be doubled in size.
  8. In the meantime, prepare your filling. Heat 15ml/1tbsp. olive oil in a wide heavy pan and stir in the onions and peppers.
  9. Sauté the onions and peppers for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until they start to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes. Pour in the lemon juice and season with salt and ground black pepper. Turn the heat off.
  10. Place the ground meat in a bowl and combine the cooked vegetables with the ground meat, mix well. The topping is ready.
  11. Once the dough is risen, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for a minute then divide the dough into two pieces and roll into two balls.
  12. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough balls into 2 oval shapes of 20 cm x 40 cm (about 8”x16”), with ½ cm (0.2”) thickness.
  13. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and place the 2 oval flat bread dough on the tray.
  14. Spread the filling evenly over the 2 flat breads, leaving 2 cm at the edges as a border with no filling (it is easier to spread the filling while the oval flat bread is in the tray).
  15. Fold in the sides to act as border to keep the filling intact. Squeeze the oval dough at each end to make it pointy.
  16. Beat an egg in a small bowl and mix it with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Brush the edges of dough with this mixture.
  17. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the pides are golden brown and crispy at the edges.
  18. Once cool, cut into slices and serve.
 

 

 

 

 

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Tray bake filo pastry with ground meat and onions; Kiymali Borek

Turkish tray bake pastry with ground meat and onions; Kiymali tepsi boregi

Turkish tray bake pastry with ground meat and onions; Kiymali tepsi boregi

My parents are visiting from Istanbul; it’s been over three years since they were last here, it really is wonderful to have them in England. Regular visitors of this blog knows that my parents’ love of Turkish food and passion for sharing others have been a major influence on us and hence the share of delicious Turkish cuisine in my blog. You can imagine how excited I am about spending time with parents, cooking together with my mother, gathering  with friends and family to share.

Spread the ground meat & onion mixture over the yufka or filo pastry sheets

Spread the ground meat & onion mixture over the yufka or filo pastry sheets

My mother brought some wonderful yufka, Turkish fresh, paper thin sheets of pastry – a real luxury as I can’t get them here in England. We made this easy and delicious tray bake with ground meat and onions; kiymali tepsi boregi. Another delicious borek you can easily make at home using filo pastry sheets if yufka is not available.

This lovely recipe and over 90 authentic recipes are included at Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book. Signed hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table is 30 % off via GBPublishing at this linkuntil  end July 3rd 2020. It is delivered worldwide, including the USA. The offer has been our way of helping out food lovers with home cooking, especially during the Covid 19 lock down. Many thanks for all your kind words and sharing your delicious creations with us. Signed copies will still continue at this link.

My best wishes,

Ozlem

4.7 from 3 reviews
Tray bake filo pastry with ground meat and onions; Kiymali Borek
 
An easy and delicious kiymali borek, Turkish savory pastry with ground meat and onions filling. Yufka, Turkish fresh pastry sheets are used traditionally, but filo pastry sheets also work very well. You can serve as an appetizer or as a morning or afternoon snack with tea.
Author:
Recipe type: Boreks, Turkish Savory Pastries
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 3 sheets of yufka Or 12 sheets of filo pastry (each sheet 48cmx25cm), thawed
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 400 gr/ 14 oz. ground beef or lamb (or a mixture)
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 fl. oz. /1 cup whole or semi skimmed milk + extra 2 tbsp. milk for the top of the pastry
  • 4 fl. oz./ ½ cup water
  • 45ml / 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a wide, heavy pan and stir in the chopped onions. Sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes to soften them up.
  2. Stir in the ground meat to the onion mixture and sauté for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
  3. Beat 1 egg and 1 egg white (save the remaining 1 egg yolk in a small bowl for later) and mix with 1 cup of milk and ½ cup of water.
  4. Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil and spread 1 sheet of yufka (with excess of yufka hanging out of tray) or 2 sheets of filo pastry on top of one another.
  5. Spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry.
  6. Lay the next sheet of yufka or 2 more sheets of filo pastry. Again, Spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry.
  7. If using filo pastry, lay two more sheets. Again, Spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry.
  8. Spread the ground meat and onion mixture evenly over the pastry.
  9. Lay the last layer of yufka sheet over the filling and tuck in and fold the excess sides of yufka sheet over the filling as a layer.
  10. If using filo pastry sheets, spread the ground meat and onion filling over the 6th sheet, after spreading the egg, milk and water mixture.
  11. Place 2 more sheets of filo pastry over the filling and continue to spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry. Lay the 10th filo sheet spread 3 tbsp. of milk, water & egg mixture evenly over the pastry. Then lay the last two sheets of filo pastry.
  12. Mix 2 tbsp. milk with the remaining egg yolk and remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil (if you have any milk & egg and water mixture left, you can add this mixture too). Spread this mixture over the last sheet of yufka or filo pastry.
  13. Bake in the pre-heated oven (180C/350F) for 20- 25 minutes, until the top of the pastry turns to golden to light brown.
  14. Once cooked, cover with a baking paper to keep moist and cool for 10 minutes. Slice in squares and serve warm.
Notes
If using frozen filo pastry, thaw overnight in the fridge or bring to room temperature 2 hours before using. If you’re using fresh filo pastry kept in the fridge (as in the UK), bring to room temperature 30 minutes before using. Keep the filo pastry covered with a damp cloth as you are working. This will help to avoid it getting too dry or less manageable.
 

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