Gozleme (Turkish Pizza / Pancake) with Grilled Eggplant, Spinach and Ricotta

I always like to pick up recipe cards and free in-store magazines while shopping at my local supermarket. I always find inspirations and sometimes great recipes from there.

This gozleme recipe is no exception. I found it in one of the recent issues of Woolworths free FRESH magazine. I have some good experience making delicious dishes from this magazine. Looking at the ingredients of this gozleme recipe, I reckoned it should work well. I had some expectations, but let me assure you that this recipe surpassed these easily: it is the best gozleme recipe I have ever tried!

For those who live overseas, gozleme is a must have at all street festivals, fetes and weekend markets in Australia. There is always a store with Turkish ladies busy making and frying gozlemes. They are loved by many of us, except that they are often very greasy.

How I love this recipe that requires a minimum amount of oil but still has a dough that is wonderfully soft and exactly how I like my gozleme to be!

Gozleme is like Italian pizza or calzone, you can add any meaty fillings (lamb, chicken, beef mince) or vegetarian fillings with different types of mushrooms and cheese (feta, cottage). I love this vegetarian version because spinach is my favourite vegetable and the grilled eggplants give the gozleme some bite, while the ricotta creates a smooth texture.

Gozleme with Grilled Eggplant, Spinach and Ricotta Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

3 cups plain flour
2 tsp salt
7 g sachet dried yeast
1 tsp castor sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water
310 g jar grilled eggplant, drained, roughly chopped
250 g bag English spinach, chopped
250 g fresh full cream ricotta, crumbled
olive oil cooking spray
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes
2 lemons, cut into wedges

Method

1. Grease a large oven tray. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast and sugar to warm water and whisk to dissolve. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until bubbly. Stir into flour and using your hands form mixture into a dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until elastic and smooth.
   

   

2. Divide dough into 8 portions and place onto prepared tray. Cover with a clean tea towel and stand in a warm place for 15 minutes or until doubled in size.
   

   

3. Preheat oven to 120C. Combine eggplant, spinach and ricotta in a large bowl.
   

   

4. Roll out a dough portion to a 26cm x 20 cm rectangle.
   

   

5. Spread one-eight of spinach mixture over half.
   

   

6. Fold over to enclose filling, pressing edges to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
   

   

7. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot, spray one side of gozleme. Add the pan, oil side down and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Spray top side and turn over. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until golden.
   

   

8. Transfer to baking tray and keep warm in oven. Cook remaining gozleme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with lemon.