Pide are like a boat-shaped Turkish version of a pizza, their sides brought up and pinched together at the ends to hold a thick layer of delicious filling. In this version, tender mushrooms and red peppers are coated in a smoky harissa sauce that’s perfumed with paprika, cumin and garlic. The dough recipe could happily be rolled into a round and repurposed into a pizza base, just top with tomato sauce, dairy-free cheese and any other toppings that you fancy and bake until crisp and golden.
Ingredients:
Serves 4
• 250g strong white bread flour
• 1 x 7g fast-action dried yeast
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 150ml warm water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
For the filling
• 2 red peppers
• 500g mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• big pinch of salt
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 Tbsp harissa paste,
or tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• small bunch fresh parsley
• 1 lemon
Make the dough
Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to the bowl or mixer and mix to combine. Add the water and the 1 tablespoon of oil and mix together. Knead well for 10 minutes either in the mixer or by aggressively bashing the dough on to the floured surface, punching and folding repeatedly, until smooth and springy. Put in a bowl, cover loosely and leave to rise
for 1 hour, or until at least doubled in size.
Make the filling
Trim and finely chop the peppers and mushrooms. Place the frying pan over a high heat and add the olive oil. Add the chopped peppers and mushrooms to the hot oil with the salt. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the water has evaporated and the vegetables are cooked down and starting to turn golden. Peel and finely chop half the red onion and add it to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Peel and grate the garlic directly into the pan. Add the harissa or tomato paste and stir well, then add the spices and stir again. Remove from the heat. Finely chop half the parsley and stir it through the mixture. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Halve the lemon and squeeze in the juice of half. Set aside to cool.
Bake the pides
Heat the oven to 200°C. Tip the dough on to a clean surface, roll it into a log and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an oval about 10cm wide and 20cm long. Transfer to the lined baking sheet. Spoon the filling over the middle of each oval, leaving a 2cm dough border around the edges. Fold the edges up and over the filling around the edges of the pides and pinch together at the ends to create boat shapes. Press a little to make sure the edges stick to the filling and don’t flare out during baking. Brush with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the dough is deep golden and the bottoms are crisp.
Serve
Finely slice the remaining red onion and put the slices into a small bowl. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon half and toss to coat. Pick the parsley leaves and mix them with the lemon and onion. Remove the baked pides from the oven and top them with the onion and parsley mixture.
Ian and Henry, founders of BOSH!, have a burning desire to show the world just how easy it can be to eat plants. Whether you’re looking to overhaul your entire philosophy around what you eat, or simply looking for meat-free Monday inspiration, they’ve got your back. Their inventive food creations reached more than half a billion people in just their first year. They don’t do dull dinners and want to spread the word: going more plant-based doesn’t need to be restrictive or boring. In fact, it can be downright delicious.
BOSH! on a Budget by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is out now
published by HQ, £16.99