Turkish pizza

April is such a tease sometimes. Sure, you get warm, breezy days, but you still have to scrape frost off your car windshield in the morning. So lately I've been dreaming about summer, and trips to warmer climates, which is how I got to thinking about Turkey.

Last summer some college friends and I traveled to Armenia and Turkey. It sounds like an odd combination, but we wanted to visit N after his first year in the Peace Corps (or rather, he demanded that we visit him), and he wanted to do some traveling in his free time, so off we went.

I remember a few things about our trip especially well: all the jokes and funny adventures you have on trips with old friends; the oppressive heat (in Istanbul, we took nightly showers just so we could cool down enough to sleep); the elaborate drinking culture in Armenia; and the Turkish food. Oh, Turkish food--the dessert alone could send me into raptures. Did you know Istanbul has an entire restaurant devoted to baklava? We spent several blissful afternoons there.

(This is not to say that Armenian food is terrible. On the contrary, their hearty devotion to meat, potatoes, cheese, and vodka kept me full and satisfied throughout our time there. But that story is for another time.)

A few days ago I tried to replicate the first meal we had upon our arrival in Istanbul: Turkish pizza. It's not really pizza in the Italian sense (or in any sense, as J might argue). But in the sense that pizza is just a flat yeasty bread topped with meat and tomatoes, well! It's hard to deny it that name. You saute some ground lamb with onion and spices, simmer with tomatoes, and spread the whole delicious mess on top of a smooth piece of dough, curling up the dough to make sure everything stays put. Then you bake it in a hot oven for 15 minutes, just long enough for sides to turn golden brown.

While the recipe I used is not quite what I remember, it's still darn delicious in its own right. I think you should make it tonight. Preferably with some Greek yogurt or hummus to accompany it. (Yes, I know the photo below shows roasted asparagus instead. Sometimes you have to clean out the fridge.)

Turkish Pizza (adapted from Bay Books' Baking: A Commonsense Guide)

For the dough:
1 tsp dried active yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4  and 1/3 cup warm water, separated
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

For the filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground lamb
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

To make the dough:
1. Mix the yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Leave to proof for 10 minutes.

2. Once the yeast has proofed, sift 1 cup of the flour and the salt into a large bowl and mix with the yeast mixture. Mix in 1 tbsp of the oil and about 1/3 cup warm water. Mix to form a soft dough, and add as much flour as you need to make it pliable. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and leave in a warm place for 1 hour.

To make the filling:
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a pan over low heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add the lamb and cook for 10 minutes, or until brown. Add the garlic, spices, and tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add half the pine nuts and 2 tbsp of the cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste, then leave to cool.

Once the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 415 degrees F. Grease two baking trays.

To make the pizzas:
1. Knock down the dough and turn onto a floured surface (I kept my counter floured while I worked on the filling). Divide into 3-5 portions and roll each into an oval, roughly 4 x 7 in. Place on the baking trays. Spread the lamb mixture evenly over the portions, leaving a small border around each oval.* Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts and the chopped olives. Roll the edges of the uncovered dough over to cover the outer edges of the filling. Pinch the ends together (each portion should look like a little boat). Brush with oil.

2. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve.


*You may have some leftover lamb filling. It goes well in pita sandwiches, with sliced cucumber and tomatoes.