İskender Kebab with Pide Bread

La storia di questo piatto

İskender Kebabı is the pride of Bursa, a dish that wears its city's name and carries it to every table in Turkey. This home version borrows that spirit, setting thin slices of beef over golden pide beneath a warm tomato sauce, finished with butter and cool yogurt.

Ingredienti

• 500 g Beef (sirloin or topside), thinly sliced
• 2 piece Pide bread
• 400 g Peeled tomatoes
• 3 clove Garlic
• 80 g Butter
• 200 g Plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoon Sweet paprika
• q.b. to taste Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoon Olive oil
• q.b. to taste Fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

Preparazione

1. This is the home version of döner: cut the beef (sirloin or topside) into very thin slices, asking your butcher to slice it if you prefer. Place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 teaspoon of paprika, salt and pepper to taste, massage the meat well with your hands, cover and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
2. About 15 minutes before the marinating time ends, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and gently sauté the garlic over low heat for one minute, without burning it to avoid bitterness. Add the peeled tomatoes, crushing them with a spoon, season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and, when you drag a spoon across the bottom, the trail does not close up immediately. Keep it warm over minimal heat.
3. Cut the pide into not-too-small cubes and toast them for 2-3 minutes in a dry pan or under the grill, until golden at the edges. Arrange them on the serving plate and moisten with a couple of spoonfuls of the hot sauce.
4. Heat a pan or grill well with the remaining tablespoon of oil: the meat should sizzle as soon as it touches the surface. Cook the slices over high heat in two batches, so as not to crowd the pan, breaking them up with a spatula only if necessary. Three to four minutes is enough: remove from the heat when the edges are golden and there is no more pink. Cook the meat last, just before plating.
5. Spread the yogurt in a strip across the centre of the pide, lay the still-warm beef on top and distribute the remaining tomato sauce. In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat until it foams and turns hazelnut-brown, stir in the remaining teaspoon of paprika, mix for a few seconds and pour it sizzling over the plate.
6. If desired, finish with a handful of freshly chopped parsley, purely as garnish: it is not part of the classic İskender. Serve immediately, while the butter is still hot: the dish should be enjoyed as soon as it is ready.