Patlıcanlı Gözleme Recipe
Most of the times gözleme is translated/interpreted as Turkish pancakes in English. I'm totally against trying to explain local foods over other well known foods. I have two reason for that. First of all, if I learn pancakes, they should learn gözleme. Second, trying to explain one food over another is like an insult to these people. It's like saying "You can't learn this new thing in our culture, let me simplify it according to your level of dumbness". Over all gözleme and pancakes are nothing to the each other. Only thing they have in common is that they are made with flour like millions of other pastries.
Similarly lahmacun, so called Turkish pizza is nothing to the pizza.
Briefly please stop calling gözleme Turkish pancakes. If you can't stop doing it, click on pancake recipe and look at the photos for a while to find a resemblance. I'm sure you will change your mind and language in a few minutes.
Although eggplant gözleme is not one of the most popular type of gozleme, I personally love it. Eggplant and cheese have a perfect harmony in my opinion. There must be very few people who agree with me, as I have rarely eaten or seen on a menu a dish that used cheese and eggplant together.
I have a few recipes that I used them together, like lalengi and eggplant poğaça. Apart from the ones I share, there are many more that I make as daily meals. In fact, eggplant gözleme is one of those recipes. When it comes to eggplant, the first recipes that come to mind for many people are not pastries. Generally, karnıyarık, imam bayıldı and musakka recipes are counted.
There will definitely be people asking, so let me tell you in advance. Yes, you can use any filling you want for this dough. Cheese, potatoes, ground beef, whatever you can think of. If you have your own recipe, you can use your own recipe, if you don't have, you can reach filling recipes using the search box.
If you want to make it with cheese, I recommend using fat-free, dry Turkish white cheese or lor cheese. Since they will not melt completely, they will remain as cheese inside. Since the fatty cheese melts and turns into oil and some of it even spills out, the gözleme obtained looks more like katmer than gözleme to me. I think it is my most natural right to want to see cheese in a cheesy pastry.
Finally... In order to prevent the eggplants release water and make the gözlemes too wet, you can keep the roasted eggplants in the strainer for a few minutes after peeling them.
Enjoy the recipe...
Patlıcanlı Gözleme Recipe with Video
Ingredients
For the dough;
- 1 egg,
- 1/4 cup of water,
- 1/4 cup of oil,
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar,
- Salt,
- 3 cups flour,
- Butter for cooking.
For the filling;
- 3 eggplants,
- 1 cup grated aged mozzarella cheese,
- Salt.
Preparation
- Roast the eggplants over the flames or in the oven,
- Meanwhile, for the dough, mix eggs, water, oil, vinegar and salt in a deep bowl,
- Add the flour gradually and knead until you get a soft dough that does not stick to the hand,
- Cover and rest it for 15 minutes,
- Take the peeled and chopped eggplants, mozzarella cheese and salt in a bowl and mix,
- Knead the dough again and divide it into four parts,
- Take one of the pieces and roll it with a roller pin as thin as possible on the floured counter,
- Spread a quarter of the eggplant filling squarely in the middle,
- Fold the four edges over the eggplant filling,
- Melt a teaspoon of butter in a large skillet, place the gözleme in the pan and cook it in both sides until golden,
- Roll, fill and cook the other pieces of dough in the same way.
Enjoy your meal...