Lamb Gozleme

This is the meaty filling recipe for gozleme.  I used lamb because I like it and it's more traditional, but a lean (93%) beef or ground turkey can be used for the recipe.

Because I was using a pound of ground meat, I made the full recipe this time.  These things are huge.  Fortunately, my sides were simmered carrots and pickled red onions, which are super light and have very few calories.  Well, I'm the person who keeps complaining that she needs to put on weight.  Realistically, I think making this into six gozlemes would be a more appropriate serving size.

I was trying to make this quickly.  It was after day 9 of ten work days in a row.  That's just how my days off fell over two schedules.  Somehow, I never broke down and picked up drive-thru on the way home.  I thought I could shortcut the dough resting time to more like ten minutes.  Turns out you can't.  The first time I tried to roll them out, the dough was still tight and made squares about 7x7.  I let those rest while I made the pickled onions and was able to roll them to the proper size.  Gluten is a real thing.

I'm using kale instead of spinach today.  My boss keeps using her PTO, and someone's got to eat it.  If you're using a tougher green, you'll have to add it to the skillet before the meat.  For spinach, it goes in last.  I omitted the original recipe's red bell pepper.  It adds a nice color contrast, but wasn't the flavor I was going for.  Plus, it would probably upset my stomach.

Dough

2-1/2 C flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C olive oil, plus more for the pan
3/4 C water

1.  Stir salt into flour in a bowl.  You can make this in the stand mixer, but I didn't find it much harder to do by hand.  Stir in olive oil and water into a rough dough.

2.  Knead dough until smooth, without adding more flour.  I didn't time it, but it was probably 5-8 minutes.  Allow to rest 20-30 minutes while you make the filling.

3.  When ready to go, divide dough into 4-8 portions by weight, depending how big you want the finished product.  Roll each into a rectangle, about 8"x14" if you're doing 4, so half that size for 8.

Filling

1 Tb olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
*1 lb ground lamb
4 C fresh spinach or other leafy green
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese

1.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high.  Add onion, garlic, and spices and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add ground lamb to the skillet, breaking it up, and cook until browned in crumbles.  If using a tougher green, cook with the lamb.  If using spinach, add to the mixture in the last minute.  Once the meat is done, remove from heat until easily handled.

3.  Preheat a griddle over medium-high heat, lightly coated with oil.  Spoon a portion of meat mixture onto half of a dough rectangle.  Sprinkle generously with feta.  Fold other half of dough over and pinch shut all around the edges.

4.  Carefully transfer gozleme to the oiled skillet and cook until the dough is done and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.  That will give you time to prepare the next.  Repeat until all are cooked, adding more oil to the griddle as necessary.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 4-8, depending on how hungry everyone is

Difficulty rating  :-0