BOSH! Chunky mushroom Turkish pide

Image credit - Lizzie Mayson

With over 835,000 followers on Instagram, chef duo Henry Firth and Ian Theasby are ideally placed to provide advice for Rakish Gent readers on how to make nail plant based and vegan cooking, owing to their strong social presence and Sunday Times Best Selling books. BOSH! On a Budget, released in December 2021 was their fifth publication and contains the below recipe for chunky mushroom Turkish pide which “look like boat-shaped Turkish versions of pizza, their sides gathered up and pinched together 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.”

CHunky mushroom turkish pide

Serves 4

250g strong white bread flour

1 x 7g sachet 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 of fresh parsley

1 lemon

Salt and black pepper

Large mixing bowl and clean work surface dusted liberally with flour or mixer fitted with the dough hook • Large frying pan • Line a large baking sheet • Rolling pin

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 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 turning it 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 risen 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 • Slice each pide diagonally into 3 pieces and serve

Recipe from BOSH! on a Budget by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby (HQ, HarperCollins).