Easy Lahmacun
Think of Lahmacun (Lahamajoun) as super thin, crispy pizza (or flatbread) known in Armenia and Turkey, topped with a flavor-packed mixture of minced meat with peppers, tomato, fresh herbs and earthy spices. I take a major shortcut by using quality store-bought pizza dough. But the secret is in the spice mixture.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- Dough
- 1/2 lb uncooked store-bought organic pizza dough
- Topping
- 1/2 sweet red pepper (cored, cut into chunks)
- 1 shallot (halved)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 1/2 oz fresh parsley leaves with some stem
- 7 oz ground lamb or ground beef
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo-style pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon wedges for later
Instructions
- 1
Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to the middle. (or see stove-top instructions in notes)
- 2
Prepare the meat mixture. In the large bowl of a food processor, fitted with blade, add red peppers, shallot, garlic, and parsley. Pulse a few times to chop. To the mixture, add ground lamb (or beef). Season with spices and salt. Add tomato paste and extra virgin olive oil. Now pulse again until well-combined (about 8 to 10 pulses.)
- 3
Prepare two large rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper (you'll be using these to bake the Lahmacun in batches.)
- 4
Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal balls (about 2 oz each.) Working with one ball of dough at a time, place on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into as thin as you can to a disk that's about 8 or 9 inches in diameter.
- 5
Assemble Lahmacun. Place one flatbread disk on one of the prepared pans. Reshape as needed. Spoon 3–4 tbsp topping onto dough and spread topping evenly to edges, leaving a thin boarder.
- 6
Bake in heated oven for about 5 to 7 minutes or until dough and meat are fully cooked (dough will be a little crusty around the edges.)
- 7
Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the remaining dough.
- 8
Squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Serve Lahmacun hot or at room temperature. See notes below for how to serve.