Just beneath the towering expanse of Sydney Harbour Bridge is the charming, historic area known as the Rocks. It is where the first settlers made their homes and it reminded me of the East End of London, where rows of neat brick terraced houses once warmed your heart with their cosy rooms and smoking chimneys.
Today the Rocks is a tourist destination with smart cafes, quaint shops and market stalls. One in particular caught my eye. It was all of a bustle with a team of sensibly dressed women, working like fiends rolling out nectarine sized pieces of dough with what looked like thin broom handles. They were making gozleme. A Turkish flatbread stuffed with simple tasty ingredients.
A mountain of dough balls were pummelled and rolled until they produced a rectangle of very thin pastry which was passed down the line to be filled by another member of the team. Feta and spinach, mushrooms, shreds of meat, finely chopped chilli were piled ready for customers to make their choice. Finally the thin rectangle of dough, together with a filling was folded and cooked cheerfully on a griddle moistened with a dribble of olive oil, by a chatty young man.
"Right that's lunch sorted" I informed my sister as the smell of the freshly cooked bread wafted towards us. By the time we had finished being mesmerised by gozleme being cooked a long queue had formed. While I waited I took the opportunity to find out how gozleme were made.
They are so simple yet delicious. I think every student should learn to make them before they are dispatched for college. They are cheap, delicious and can be cooked on anything.
Gozleme
Serves 2 for lunch
Ingredients
200g plain flour
5g salt
3g fresh yeast (I use Dove Farm)
50g plain yogurt
130g warm water
For the filling
4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
100g feta cheese, crumbled
1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
Olive oil for dribbling
Method
Place the flour salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix the water and yogurt in a jug and mix well. Gradually add the liquid to the flour and bring together as a ball of dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, stretching and pulling the dough. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a plastic bag ( I use a clean supermarket carrier bags or a shower cap) and leave somewhere warm for 45 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 and roll out each piece into a very thin rectangle. Place a handful of spinach leaves on the dough and scatter with feta cheese and finely chopped chilli, if using. Fold the edges of the gozleme over and flatten with the palms of your hands.
Heat a large frying pan or griddle and dribble a little olive oil over the surface. Cook the gozleme for about 5 minutes on each side.