Greek pizza is a very tasty and healthy dish, which will certainly be appreciated by connoisseurs of traditional culinary delights. The method of its preparation is not much different from traditional Italian pizza, but there are still differences. The dish will appeal to those who love themselves sometimes to indulge in high-calorie foods.
Real Italian or still Greek pizza?
Do you know in which country the first pizza appeared? Who came up with the idea of baking stuffed bread cakes ? I must say, Italians and Greeks are still arguing about which of them first came up with pizza.
The Greeks, by the way, have plenty of reasons to believe that they are the creators of the recipe. This is eloquently evidenced by the fact that their traditional tortilla plakuntos has been known for many centuries. Moreover, the national Greek cuisine has its roots in the distant past.
There is no point in doubting that it was the Greeks who invented pizza. This country has everything you need for real Greek pizza. The recipe with a photo shows how appetizing this appetizer looks.
The favorable climate and geographical location allow the Greek population to engage in agriculture and create culinary masterpieces. Therefore, it is not surprising that the composition of pizza in Greek contains only traditional products: olive oil and olives, tomatoes and bell peppers.
Originally from a beautiful and magical country
Greek pizza is cooked on a tight dough with the addition of cherry tomatoes, fresh and juicy spinach leaves, bell pepper and, of course, olives. In order for it to acquire a rich and piquant taste, it is necessary to add cheeses. This is the traditional Greek feta and mozzarella.
The composition of Greek pizza is in many ways similar to the recipe for a traditional salad of the same name, which is served in any self-respecting restaurant. The dish is not only tasty, but also incredibly healthy. There is no smoked or fried meat - only vegetables and cheeses. And the fact that there is a small piece of dough is not an obstacle for a figure.
Recently, Greek pizza has some varieties. So, if desired, you can add mushrooms or meat, bacon or salami. The taste of this will only get better.
However, we were distracted. Let's quickly find out how to make real Greek pizza.
Recipe with photo step by step
Let's start by purchasing the ingredients. Before you go to the store for groceries, you need to find out what is needed to prepare this tasty, hearty and healthy dish.
So, going to the store, do not forget to buy:
- Ready-made yeast dough, if you do not want to bother and cook it yourself.
- Mozzarella cheese (in the package should be at least 180 grams).
- Another traditional ingredient for Greek pizza is Feta cheese (it needs a little less - about 50 grams).
- Cherry tomatoes (literally 8-10 pieces).
- Bell peppers (one piece will be enough).
- Salad leaves or spinach.
- Black olives without stones (there will be a lot of whole jar - they are needed for decoration).
- Fresh cucumbers.
- Olive oil (to grease a baking sheet).
- Spicy pizza sauce (in any supermarket you can find the finished mixture).
If you bought everything you need for Greek pizza, the photo of which causes increased salivation, you can start preparing the ingredients.
Prepare the dough
Like any other pizza, Greek begins with the preparation of the dough. If you have not found a frozen product, you can cook it yourself. To do this, mix a teaspoon of dry, quick-acting yeast, a quarter cup of lukewarm water, a teaspoon of salt and about two cups of wheat and one cup of bread flour.
First, in a large bowl, mix two types of flour. In a separate container, dilute the yeast with warm water and leave for a while so that they disperse. After that add salt and mix thoroughly the resulting mixture. Now you can mix, gradually mixing the flour. The result should be a homogeneous elastic mass without lumps, which must be laid out on a flat surface, sprinkled with flour. Knead the yeast dough for five minutes. Then divide it into two equal parts, put in a deep bowl, greased with olive oil. So it will lie for several hours.
If everything is done correctly, after three hours the volume of the test will double.
Cooking the sauce and filling
Bell pepper and cucumbers should be thoroughly washed and cut into small cubes. Wash, dry and spinach spinach and lettuce leaves into small pieces. Repeat the same manipulations with cherry tomatoes, only you need to remove the stalk and use a sharp knife to cut the vegetables into thin enough slices.
Now you can roll out the dough. The base for Greek pizza should be thin. The diameter of the dish is about 30 cm. This pancake needs to be well lubricated with olive oil and spread over its surface. This can be done with a culinary brush or hands (do not forget to wash them well before doing this). After tomato or special pizza sauce, spread the dough. Also carefully, without leaving a dry place. Carefully handle the edges of the pancake - most often it is they that remain dry.
Did not find a special sauce? Zaziki is prepared on the basis of mayonnaise or low-fat yogurt, garlic and fresh cucumbers, so it is easy to make it yourself.
Further manipulations
Pour crushed Mozzarella cheese onto an oiled base, with an even layer of tomatoes and bell pepper. Now you can turn on the oven and bake the base. Traditionally, Greek pizza is baked in a roasting pan, the temperature of which reaches 400 degrees. The arsenal of modern housewives is an ordinary oven. But its capabilities will be quite enough to prepare a delicious dish.
So, the base is caked - you can get it out. Now you can put chopped cucumber, olives and lettuce leaves. Garnish with feta cheese over the entire surface.
Enjoy your meal!
Tips & Tricks
Do not spare the olive oil for Greek pizza. They are made for each other. Like sirtaki and directly Greece itself. The presented traditional way of cooking is the best suited for those who protect their figure or simply do not eat meat, because the calorie content of Greek pizza is only 380 kcal.
Want to make the recipe a little more satisfying? Feel free to add boiled chicken or beef. The ingredients in Greek pizza go well with seafood. They can also become members of this excellent culinary ensemble.
But back to our Plakuntos. A source was found in which pizza was first mentioned. This is a book of Greek culinary, dated to the 1st century AD. It contains recipes for a wide variety of fillings. Then pizza was cooked with nuts, cheese, vegetables and herbs, garlic and chicken - in general, with what was at hand.
Now you know how to cook real Greek pizza, and you can please your loved ones with a traditional dish.