Turkish cuisine

Medium

Turkish Pide With 2 Types of Fillings

Chef Bao Qiu

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PIDE (pronounced “Pea-day”), is one of the most popular, traditional foods of Turkey.

Think pizza, but with a softer, airier dough, and classic Middle Eastern ingredients. Pinched together at two ends, the boat-shaped crust is baked with a meat filling lightly seasoned with fresh herbs true to the bright, flavorful, characteristics of Middle Eastern cuisine. Making pide is easier than you think, with its crisp, light base and delicious filling, pide is sure to quickly become a favorite!

OPTIONAL FUN FACT: Before modern convenience, in rural settings pide filling was prepared at home and then brought to the nearest town to be baked onto flatbreads at the local bakery, in woodfired stone ovens.

Recipe

PRE TIME: 2 hr 3 min

COOKING TIME: 15 min

TOTAL TIME: 2 hr 18 min

2 SERVING

Ingredients:

For the dough
15 oz. Unbleached, All-Purpose White Flour
1 tsp. Dry Yeast
4/5 cup Lukewarm Water
3 tbsp. Whole Milk, at Room Temperature
1 cup Whole Milk Yogurt
2 tbsp. Butter, Melted and Cooled
1 Large Egg
For the Chicken filling
7 oz. Chicken Breast
2/3 cup Green Pepper, Diced (Approx. 1 Med)
3/4 cup Tomato, Diced
1 tbsp. Fresh Oregano
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Salt
1 pinch Black Pepper, to Taste
For the Beef filling
7 oz. Lean Ground Beef
1/2 cup Red Onion
15 oz. Fresh Baby Spinach Leaves, Washed and Dried
2 tbsp. Butter
3 oz. Feta Cheese, Drained and Crumbled
1 tbsp. Salt
1 pinch Black Pepper, to Taste
For the egg wash
1 count Egg
1 tbsp. Water

Directions:

Step 1

Prepare the dough, In a large bowl, combine water, yogurt, butter, milk, egg, and yeast. Mix well with a fork. Add flour into the wet mixture, with floured fingers, begin to mix the dough gently in the bowl. Once all ingredients are well combined, begin to knead the dough in the bowl until it is smooth, but not dense. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rest for two hours.

Step 2

To prepare the chicken filling, use a sharp knife, cut the chicken breast into ½” cubes by cutting lengthwise, then cutting strips into ½” pieces. Set aside. Remove seeds and stem from green pepper and dice. Remove stem and cut tomato in ½” slices from top to bottom, cut slices into ½” cubes. Add tomato and green pepper to the chicken. Add fresh oregano and thyme to the chicken and vegetables. Season with extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix to coat all ingredients, and set it aside in the refrigerator.

Step 3

To prepare the beef filling, heat 2 tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet and add chopped onion. Sauté onion until translucent, add ground beef. Season with 1 tablespoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, stir gently, until meat is cooked and no longer pink, Add spinach to the beef and cook until just wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside in a bowl.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Assemble the pide, after the dough has rested for two hours, remove the cloth from the bowl (the dough should have doubled in size). Prepare a floured surface and very lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Coat your hands with flour, lift the dough and gently divide it into 3 equal portions, coax the dough into thick, flat discs with your fingers. Continue, rolling the dough into long ovals with a floured rolling pin on a prepared surface until the dough is approximately 3/8” thick.

Step 5

Spread the chicken filling evenly onto the center of one dough, leaving a 2” edge of dough all around. Fold the sides of the ovals towards the center to contain the filling, leaving a gap of uncovered filling down the center, from end to end. Overlap the dough at the top and bottom ends and pinch it together, forming points.

Step 6

Repeat this process with the beef filling on the second rolled out dough, and sprinkle crumbled feta cheese over the filling. Beat an egg with a tablespoon of water to make the egg wash, brush the egg wash evenly over the pide dough. Transfer pide to a large, lightly oiled baking sheet, or transfer directly to a preheated pizza stone in the oven

Step 7

Bake the pide at 450°F (232°C) for 15 minutes, until the pide is golden brown and crispy on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. Cut the pide into slices a little more than 1” wide, and serve immediately.

Final Notes

If baking pide on a pizza stone, begin preheating an hour before bake-time.