Sourdough Flatbreads with Aubergine, Red Peppers and Schug

This recipe, using our Italian Pinsa Romana pizza/flatbread showcases our Middle Eastern ingredients. It's absolutely delicious and will become a firm favourite on pizza night.

Don't get confused with Lahmacun which is made with a minced meat topping - this is a veggie recipe I made up in my kitchen on a Friday night.

The base of this pizza I've used Med Cuisine Filfel Chuma - you will often see this spelt slightly differently (pilpelchuma or pilpelshuma). It's popular right across the Middle East and made using a blend of dried red bell peppers, garlic and lemon juice. With the consistency of tomato puree, it's used mainly as a condiment with falafel sandwiches, shawarma chicken and to top humous - here it's spread across the base of the pinsa.

I've also topped this with Med Cuisine Schug (again sometimes spelt Zoug), which is a spicy coriander pesto-style paste. Mixed with yoghurt and drizzle liberally over your cooked pizza.

Ingredients for Middle Eastern Aubergine & Red Pepper Pizza with Schug
Serves 1-2
1 x Pinsa Romana Base, fully defrosted (around an hour)
2 tablespoons Med Cuisine filfel chuma
1 Aubergine, sliced into thin rounds
½ Red Pepper, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
½ Brue Valley fior di latte mozzarella, sliced into rounds
½ tablespoon of Med Cuisine schug
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
Fresh mint
Fresh parsley (optional)
A few rocket leaves (optional)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Black pepper

1. Preheat your oven to it's highest temperature (hopefully at least 250°C) and preheat your metal baking sheet or pizza stone. You want a fiercely hot base on which to cook the bases.

2. Start by prepping the aubergines and peppers. Season the aubergines with a little salt and fry the slices in hot oil until browned. Remove and keep to one side. Then fry the strips of red peppers until they have softened, again with a pinch of salt.

3. To construct the pizza, spread the Filfel chuma across the base of the pinsa Romana.

4. Now scatter over the cooked red peppers and arrange the slices of aubergine on top, along with some slices of Brue Valley fior di latte mozzarella. Season with a little black pepper.

5.  Cook the pizza in your pre-heated oven for around 5-7 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is.

6. Whilst the pizza is in the oven, mix the schug together with the yoghurt.

7. Once you start to see a little charring on the edges of the pizza, it's ready to come out.

8. Drizzle with the schug yoghurt, scatter over the fresh herbs and rocket and finish with a little extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy! Don't forget to tag us @somerset.foodie when you make this at home, and leave a review in the comments below. Ben 

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