I love Istanbul, I love the people, the city, the breathtaking views from the Bosphorus, but I never really got into its food as much as this last trip, thanks to my friend Hulya who is a native and knows exactly where to take me. This past weekend I had mezze (tapas like dishes) almost everyday. I now have a new found admiration for Turkish food. Growing up eating Syrian dishes most of my life, I never really paid attention to the details of Turkish gastronomy, always thinking it was similar. Similar it is, but it is also uniquely their own. I have fallen in love with the simplicity of their dishes, the complexity of the flavours, and the incredible variety and freshness of all the vegetables and fish.
So, I returned last night, still craving mezze. And today, I woke up, craving more. Last night I made this amazing smoked eggplant, but today I thought I would tackle what looked like a harder recipe from my new cookbook. I am amazed at how easy it was to make. And quick! And healthy! And of course, delicious! Need I say more? Well, here it is, the recipe for Gozleme with spinach. Oh, it also helped that I came back with a huge selection of spices!
115g/1 cup strong unbleached bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2.5 ml/ 1/2 tsp salt
15ml/ 1 tbsp olive oil, melted butter or ghee
50ml/ 1/4 cup water, plus more if needed
For the filling
250g/ 9 oz. fresh spinach
15g/ 1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
5ml/ 1 tsp kirmizi biber, or chili flakes or paprika
7.5ml/ 1 1/2 tsp all purpose flour
120ml/ 1/2 cup milk
45ml/ 3 tbsp kasar paynir or parmesan cheese, grated
salt and ground black pepper
1. Sift the flour with the salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, or melted butter or ghee, and the water. Using your hand, draw in the mixture into a dough. Knead for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, knead them for another 2 minutes each and then roll into balls. Place the balls on a floured surface, cover with a damp cloth, and leave them to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Place the spinach in a steamer, or in a colander set in a large pan with a lid, and steam the spinach until it wilts.
4. Refresh the spinach under running cold water and drain well. Place the cooked spinach on a chopping board and chop roughly.
5. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, and soften the onion, about 7 minutes. Stir in the spinach, and add the nutmeg and kirmizi biber (or other options).
6. Stir in the flour and pour in the milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Beat in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat, but keep the pan covered to keep the filling warm.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each of the balls of dough into thin, flat rounds, about 15-20 cm/6-8 inches in diameter.
8. Heat a griddle over high heat, wipe it with a little olive oil, and place one of the rounds of dough on to it. Cook the dough for about a minute on one side, then flip it over and spread a thin layer of the filling over the cooked side.
