Gözleme, Lesbian style

     First session in the Cultural Diversity in the Media class and I am a Teaching Assistant. The assignment is simple: introduce yourself by sharing some information about your culture. I stand in front of my students, a rather representative sample of the American melting pot, and I deliver my introductory statement. "Hello! My name is Eleonora and I am a Lesbian".
    My writing coach in high school always told me that if I want to get the attention of my audience all I need is a strong opening line. He was right. After my introduction there was this vast silence, instantly followed by 40 jaws dropping and 40 pairs of eyes, filled with an amalgam of shock and curiosity, staring at me.
     In order to comfort my students' distress and fulfill their curiosity, I explained to them that being a Lesbian has nothing to do with my sexual orientation, but rather it is a matter of my descent. I grew up on the island of Lesvos (or Lesbos in its alternative spelling), thus, due to my origin I am called a Lesbian, like every other woman or man that live on this island. Although the name of the island habitants raises a big debate between the locals and the female homosexual community, I personally find this common misconception whimsical.

                                             The island of Lesvos (in Red) on the Greek map


The recipe for today is the Lesbian style gözleme, which is popular delicacy on the island.

Groceries                              Dairy section                               Herb garden

1lb all-purpose flour                1lb feta cheese                              Fresh Spearmint leaves

2 Tsp Greek olive oil                (preferably sheep-milk feta)            (or dried leaves)

   plus more for frying              

1 tsp white wine vinegar           2 eggs

 (or ouzo)

1 cup of water

For the dough

In a bowl add warm water, 2 Tsp of olive oil and vinegar. Shift in the flour and mix until you get some soft dough. Add more flour if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it rest for an hour.

For the filling

Lightly beat the eggs and crumble the feta cheese with a fork. If you are using fresh spearmint, finely chop it. If the spearmint is dry, chip it with your fingers. Mix all the ingredients together.

Making the eyes of the angel

Cover your working station with a thin layer of flour. With a rolling pin roll thin rounds of dough. Make sure the dough is very thin. There is no standard size for the gözleme, so you choose the size of the dough circle, according to the portion you wish to serve.

Envision the dough circle as divided into two half-moons. Add a Tablespoon of the filling on the first half-moon and cover it with the other, creating a perfect eye-shaped envelope. Press the edges of the eye with your fingers or a fork, so that they stick together.

Alternative shape – Making an envelope

Stretch the dough with the help of a pasta machine, as if you were making ravioli. Again the dough has to be stretched very thinly. Cut the dough in rectangular shapes.

Add a Tsp of filling in the middle of the rectangle. Connect all four edges right in the center of the rectangle, creating an envelope. Press the edges of the envelope to stick together.

                               Envelope-shaped gözleme

Frying

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan. When the oil is really hot fry the gozleme.

If you are making the envelope-shaped gozleme, make sure you fry first the side where the edges connect. In this case, the hot oil will seal the connecting points of the envelope and the filling won’t run in the pan. Then fry the other side.

Take the gözleme out of the pan when they are turned golden brown from both sides.

Serve when they are warm with a sprinkle of spearmint and a shot of ouzo.