TURKISH CHEESE, SUCUK & OLIVE PIDE PIES

"Time is the only thief we can't get justice against."
- Astrid Alauda

No time, running. How many of you people have said or heard that sentence before? Too many, unfortunately. Sadly, most of us regularly struggle with a life that is far from being relaxed and suffer from that situation.

We always seem to be rushing and stressing like crazy, because our days are not long enough and we are engrossed in work and in doing chores. We are not capable of coping with the fact that hours pass incredibly fast and that we rarely get anything done as expected. I don't know about you, but although I don't mind being busy and having lots of things to do, I hate being on the run or put under pressure. It is just not a Feng-Shui/Zen lifetsyle. As a matter of fact, it is not for no reason that my favorite expressions is "trrrrranquile!" (pronounced with a Spanish accent)...

I have no clue why suddenly time started to fly by with infinite velocity, but I remember that when I was a college girl I went to school from 8am 'til around 5pm, then I studied for a while, listened to some music/CD's, wrote letters to my penpals, read novels, roamed town with friends and even had leisure to get bored or lie on my bed daydreaming. Nowadays, I barely can do half of those things and I'm continually keeping a concentrated eye on the clock!

This week, I got overtaken by the events, overwhelmed by the shortness of the those 168 hours and challenged by the incessant permutation of minutes. From Monday to Friday, I have been preparing a guest post for a foodblogger friend (creating a new dish, cooking it, taking pictures and putting my thoughts down on paper isn't all that easy and demands a certain amount of concentration), answering questions to an interview and taking care of all the household tasks (cooking, cleaning, etc...). Quite exhausting! And to crown it all I felt extremely lazy and lacked ambition. As a result, I had no stamina left to think about my new post, my schedule got busted as well as unintentionally altered.

You see, as antagonistic as it may sound, despite being a messy and chaotic individual, I am also somebody who needs structure in life, who likes a certain routine and things to be square, otherwise I tend to feel insecure, stressed and panicky. Is it bad or is it good? I don't believe it is, yet I must admit that the motives of this behaviour pattern elude me. I'm pretty sure a psychologist would find a concrete explaination, but I know that's how things work for me. I profoundly dislike having a disorganized agenda. The only places where I like anarchy and clutter to reign supreme are in my computer room, my kitchen or in arts (painting, photography, cinema or music).

For example, if I can't blog as planned I become very fidgety and anxious. Some mornings, I wake up with my heart beating loudly and an unhealthy need to run out of bed in order to sit in front of the computer. Although blogging brings me joy and fulfills my soul, it can also be a burden and a heavy weight for a disciplined perfectionist like me who has high expectations and seldom values herself positively. I am constantly afraid of never being able to deliver quality articles/recipes that are cunning enough.

I really have to find a solution to this problem as my painstaking fussiness and hairsplitting manners can be a real hindrance to creativity and productivity. I should learn how to be a little more laidback and cool when it comes to my blog, otherwise I am likely to end up loathing that activity, loosing your mojo and ending up with a burn-out, and that is something I have come dangerously close to experiencing lately...

When what you like becomes a "punishment" that brings pain, tension and confusion, then it is a sign that you are doing it the wrong way. Such destructive feelings can completely eradicate all the pleasure you used to feel while exercising your hobby and disgust you to the point of no return. Bad and really not constructive, so don't forget not to take blogging too seriously and be casual!

Anayway, despite my hectic mood and difficulty to deal with my "overbooked" agenda, I have nonetheless been able to prepare a post to share with you. I might be someone who needs a lot of energy to get out of her slumber, but it is always a joy to kick myself in the ass for you, my dear readers! So, this Friday I am presenting you one of my fetish recipes for a traditional pizza-like treat that hails from beautiful Turkey.

"A quick poll of our friends revealed that most did indeed think of Turkish food as being limited to endless versions of oily braised eggplant, with a few sticky pastries and limp doner kebabs thrown in for good measure. Yet we had read plenty of books that described Turkish food as one of the greatest cuisines in the world, and numerous magazines and newspapers were busily printing stories about a revitalised Istanbul - the new 'cool' travel destination."
- Greg and Lucy Malouf

Apart from having amazing landscapes, photogenic sceneries and astonishing monuments, to die for eats, unique atmosphere and being romantically exotic, this incredible country placed at a crossroads between Europe and the Middle East is also the beholder of incredible culinary traditions that blow my mind away. With its Central and Far East Asian, Persian, Arabic, Balkanese and Mediterranean influences, the refined cuisine from "the land of the Turks" is so stunning and bewithchingly authentic that it is quite impossible not to fall under its irresistible charm.

Being a big fan of the gastronomy from this part of the world and a fervent admirer of the great Australian Lebanese-born chef Greg Malouf, I constantly crave the dishes that can be found in his three marvelously written as well as illustrated award-winning food and travel compendiums "Turquoise" (Turkey), "Saha" (Lebanon & Syria) and "Saraban" (Persia). They are a fantastic source of recipes and inspiration.

I have already tested a few of the specialities that this talented cook dispenses in his remarkable cookbooks. One in particular has been on the menu more than once and has never failed to sweep us off our feet. His succulent "Cheese, Suçuk And Olive Pide Pies" are terrific and so addictive.

Those scrumptious boat-shaped tarts known under the name of "Sucuklu Pide" are made with simple bread dough which is enriched with olive oil and garnished with halloumi, kasseri (or Mozarella if you can't find this Greek/Turkish stringy cheese), Kalamata olives, green bell pepper and a pungent sausage called suçuk. A wonderful delicacy that is lipsmackingly spicy, cheesy and bready. There sure is more to the Turkish cuisine than kebabs!

Submitted to Yeastspotting!

~ Cheese, Suçuk & Olive Pide Pies ~
Recipe adapted from Greg and Lucy Malouf's, "A Chef's Travels In Turkey: Turquoise".

Makes 3 medium (or 2 big) pide pies.

Ingredients For The "Pide":
1 x Pide dough (recipe follows)
250g Halloumi cheese, finely sliced (see remarks)
150g Mozarrella, finely sliced
12 Pitted Kalamata olives, cut in 4
1 Medium-sized green pepper, seeded and cubed
1 (240g) Suçuk sausage, sliced
Kirmizi biber (Turkish chilli powder, see remarks), to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 Egg yolk
2 Tbs Milk
Ingredients For The "Pide Dough":
1/2 Tbs Dry yeast
A pinch castor sugar
190g/ml Warm water
250g Bread flour or all-purpose flour
3/4 Tsp Fine sea salt
2 Tbs Extra-virgin olive oil

Method For The "Pide Dough":
1. In the bowl of your mixer, dissolve the yeast in half the warm water and sprinkle with the sugar, set aside in warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.
2. Incorporate enough flour to create a sloppy paste (similar in texture to pancake batter) and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes in a warm place or until bubbly.
3. Add the remaining flour, the salt, water and the olive oil. Using the dough hook attachment, knead on low speed until the dough is smooth, springy and passes the window pane test, about for 10 minutes (add a little flour or water according to need - the dough should be slightly sticky, but not be tacky).
4. Transfer the dough to lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic film, and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hour.
5. Cut the dough into 3 equal portions and set aside.

Method For the "Pide":
6. Preheat the oven to 250° C (450° F).
7. Roll each piece of dough into a long 30 x 10cm (14 x 4 inches) rectangle.
8. Scatter 1/3 of the topping over the dough (start with the halloumi, then the mozarella, the olives, the pepper and the suçuk), leaving about a 2cm (1 inch) border around the edges.
9. Fold up the two long sides of the dough, bringing them up and over the topping, but without meeting in the middle, then squeeze the sides together at each end, twisting them together slightly to create a long "canoe/boat" shape. Sprinkle with the chilli powder and black pepper.
10. Repeat the operation with the rest of the dough.
11. To make the egg wash, mix together the yolk and the milk. Brush each pide with the egg wash.
12. Bake one Pide at a time for about 7 minutes, or until the bread is golden in color and the cheese has completely melted.
13. Serve hot.

Remarks:
If you don't have any halloumi, suçuk or kirmizi biber, you can replace them with quality Edamer cheese, Calabrese/dried or raw chorizo sausages and the chilli powder of your choice (fragrant and medium hot).

Serving Suggestions:
Serve with onion slices and a salad (tomato & cucumber or lettuce).
Sprinkle with additional olive oil and fine sea salt if you wish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ Pide Au Fromage, Aux Olives Et A La Saucisse Suçuk ~
Recette adaptée du livre "A Chef's Travels In Turkey: Turquoise" par Greg and Lucy Malouf.

Pour 3 pide moyennes (ou deux grandes).

Ingrédients Pour La "Pizza Turque":
1 x Pâte à pain pour pide (la recette suit)
250g de Halloumi, tranché finement (voir remarques)
150g de Mozarrella, tranché finement
12 Olives kalamata, dénoyautées et coupées en lamelles
1 Poivron vert moyen, nettoyé et coupé en petits cubes
1 (240g) Saucisse suçuk sausage, coupée en rondelles
Kirmizi biber (poudre de piments turque, voir remarques), à volonté
Poivre noir, moulu, à volonté
1 Jaune d'oeuf
2 CS de lait
Ingrédients Pour La "Pâte A Pizza Turque":
1/2 CS de Levure sèche en poudre
190g/ml d'Eau tiède
Une pincée de sucre cristallisé
250g de Farine à pain ou farine blanche
3/4 CC de Sel de mer fin
2 Cs d'Huile d'olive extra vierge

Méthode Pour La "Pâte A Pizza Turque":
1. Dans le bol de votre robot, dissoudre la levure dans la moitié de l'eau, puis saupoudrer avec le sucre. Laisser reposer à température ambiante pendant 10 minutes, jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit mousseux.
2. Ajouter assez de farine afin de former une pâte visqueuse (telle une pâte à pancake). Recouvrir avec un linge de cuisine et laisser la "pâte" lever pendant 20 minutes à température ambiante.
3. Incorporer le reste de la farine et de l'eau, le sel et l'huile d'olive, puis pétrir dans votre robot (à l'aide du crochet) à basse vitesse pendant 10 minutes (ajouter de l'eau ou de la farine selon besoin - la pâte ne doit pas être collante) afin d'obtenir une pâte douce et élastique (elle doit passer le test du "vitrail").
4. Mettre la pâte dans un bol huilé, recouvrir avec du film plastique et laisser lever pendant 1 1/2 heures (la pâte doit avoir doublé de volume).
5. Couper la pâte en trois parts égales et mettre de côté (recouvrir avec un linge humide pour pas qu'elle sèche).

Méthode Pour La "Pizza Turque":
6. Préchauffer le four à 250° C.
7. Abaisser la pâte en un rectabgle de 30 x 10cm.
8. Recouvrir la pâte 1/3 de la avec la garniture (commencer avec le halloumi, puis continuer avec la mozarella, les olives, le poivron et la saucisse suçuk) tout en faisant attention de laisser un bord de 2cm de chaque côté.
9. Rabattre les deux bords de 30cm vers l’intérieur, sur la garniture, sans les faire se joindre (seulement les 2cm de pâte qui doivent être repliés), puis entortiller les bouts afin d'obtenir une forme de bâteau ("canoe"). Saupoudrer avec la poudre de piments et le poivre noir.
10. Répéter l'opération avec les deux autres parts de pâte.
11. Mélanger ensemble le lait et le jaune d'oeuf, et dorer les bords à l’aide d’un pinceau culinaire. 12. Cuire pendant environ 7 minutes, ou jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit cuite, dorée et que le fromage ait fondu.
13. Servir.

Remarques:
Si vous ne trouvez pas de halloumi, de suçuk ou de kirmizi biber, vous pouvez les remplacer par du Edamer de qualité, de la saucisse de Calabre/du chorizo cru ou séché de qualité et dela poudre de piments de votre choix (parfumé et pas trop épicée).

Idées de présentation:
Manger chaud et servir avec des oignons en rondelles et une salade (tomate et concombre ou laitue).
Si vous le désirez, vous pouver aussi ajouter un giclée d'huile d'olive et saupoudrer avec un peu de sel de mer fin.