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berlin gozleme

Lamb

Berlin Gozleme

My sister is spending the year in Berlin, 10 times zones and over 5000 miles away. She's been raving about a Turkish street food called gozleme. These filled flatbreads are prepared on large griddles for eager patrons who consume them standing up around crowded tables. I thought the distance between us might feel a little less vast if I could enjoy gozlemes too. I created this recipe to match my sister's description, with a yeast dough and fragrant lamb and spinach filling. We ate them, according to my sister's instructions, hot off the griddle, sliced with a drizzle of yogurt cucumber sauce. They were delicious, but Berlin still felt very far away.

Ingredients

  • for the dough
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • for the filling and cucumber sauce
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (divide use)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayene
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 pound ground lamb
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 cup Greek style yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 sprigs mint
  • 8 chives
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • To prepare the dough, combine the yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water and allow to dissolve. Mix in remaining ingredients, alternating flour and water until the dough is soft but not too sticky. You may need a little less water or more flour, depending on the humidity. Knead well. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for a couple hours until the dough has doubled in size.
  • To prepare the filling, saute onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium low heat until quite soft. Add the garlic and cook a little longer. Add in the spices, cook for a minute, then add the tomato paste, ground lamb and a generous pinch of salt and continue sauteing until the lamb is thoroughly cooked.
  • Prepare the sauce. Peel and seed the cucumber and chop into small pieces. Mince the mint and chives. Combine the cucumbers, herbs, yogurt, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll into very thin rectangles. On one half, layer on a handful of baby spinach leaves, a heaping spoonful of lamb, and a handful of crumbled feta. Fold over the dough and seal the sides.
  • Heat a skillet to a medium temperature so that the gozleme can cook without burning for about 7 minutes per side. Slick the surface with olive oil and place the gozleme on the hot surface. Once the first side is nicely browned, flip and cook the second side. Serve hot off the griddle, sliced, with a generous drizzle of the yogurt cucumber sauce.

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