12 May Gozleme Of Lamb, Mint, Feta And Spinach

Gözleme is a traditional savory Turkish flatbread and pastry dish, made of hand-rolled leaves of yufka dough that are lightly brushed with butter and eggs, filled with various toppings, sealed, and cooked over a griddle.

This weekend-markets favourite is easier to make than it seems, and well worth the effort, writes Sally Love.

As Pete Evans explains in the book from which this recipe is taken, “If you’ve been to a farmers’ market or visited a festival lately you may have noticed the queues around one stall in particular – the gozleme stall.” Too right, Pete!

I thought this recipe would be complicated and taste nowhere near as good as the ones the ladies at the markets make, but it was pretty tasty. The ingredients were simple, and having never made bread before, the dough was incredibly easy to make. I replaced the plain yoghurt with Greek, and dried mint for fresh, which didn’t seem to affect the overall taste. The results? Delicious. I would definitely make them again. The cons? I didn’t roll the dough out enough, and they were quite thick. Nevertheless our family managed to polish them all off.

Preparation and Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

200g plain yoghurt
250g (2 cups) self-raising flour
1 tbs olive oil
150g lamb mince
1 garlic clove
pinch ground cumin
pinch chilli flakes
pinch dried mint
4 tbs tomato juice
50g baby spinach leaves
100g feta cheese, crumbled
8 mint leaves, torn
olive oil, for frying
50g butter, melted (optional)
lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Beat yoghurt and a pinch of salt together in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add flour, stirring, until a stiff dough forms. Place on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, incorporating any remaining flour, until soft and slightly sticky. Transfer to an oiled bowl and set aside, covered, for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb with a pinch of salt and pepper until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic, cumin, chilli flakes and tomato juice. Cook for another minute or until dry. Set aside to cool. Drain.

Place dough on a floured surface. Divide into four balls. Roll each ball out into a 30cm circle. Place one-quarter of the spinach over half of each circle. Sprinkle with one-quarter of the feta, then lamb and mint leaves. Season to taste. Fold dough over and seal edges with a fork.

Preheat a barbecue plate or large frying pan. Brush one side of each gozleme with olive oil and cook until base is golden. Brush top with olive oil. Turn and cook until golden.

Brush with melted butter (optional). Serve with lemon wedges and a pinch of sea salt.

Words Sally Love; photos

From: Cook With Love – The Pete Evans Collection
Publisher: Murdoch Books/Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781743364956
RRP: $39.99
Available: Now