Lahmajoun Recipe

Origin: Armenia      Period: Traditional

Lahmajoun are basically leavened flatbread pizzas brought to the Eastern Mediterranean and Westarn Asia by the Ottoman Empire. They can be found from Turkey northwars and are topped with a mixture of ground beef and tomatoes. Truly delicious and well worth making.

Ingredients

For the Dough:
240ml warm water
1 packet active dried yeast
1/4 tsp sugar
420g plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

For the Topping:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 medium onions, finely chopped
675g lean minced beef or lamb
2 large tomatoes, blanched, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
3 tbsp tomato purée
45g finely-chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tsp finely-chopped mint
45g pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 tsp Pomegranate syrup (just reduce unsweetened pomegranate juice to 2/3 its original volume)
1 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp Armenian mixed spice
salt, black pepper and ground chillies, to taste

Lahmajoun Preparation:

Method:

Begin with the dough: pour half the water into a bowl, stir-in the sugar then sprinkle the yeast on top. Cover and allow the mixture to stand for 3 minutes, until the yeast activates. After this time stir-in the yeast then set the bowl aside in a warm place, covered, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the four and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in the centre and add the remaining water, the yeast solution and the olive oil to this. Blend the flour into the liquid ingredients until the mixture comes together as a firm dough. Turn this out onto a lightly-floured work surface an knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to cover in oil, then cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for about 90 minutes, or until doubled in volume.

In the meantime, heat the oil for the topping in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the meat, tomatoes and tomato purée and mix well with your hands before adding the parsley, mint, pine nuts, Pomegranate syrup, lemon juice and spice blend. Season with salt, black pepper and chilli powder then mix to combine. Drain the onions and add to the meat mix then knead until the mixture is thoroughly blended.

Divide into 16 roughly-equal portions and set aside.

When the dough has risen knock it back then divide into 16 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball with your hands then place on a lightly-foured board, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 15 minutes.

After this time roll out each dough ball into a circle that's no more than 3mm thick. Arrange these a few centimetres apart on large, lightly-greased baking trays then top each dough circle with the meat mixture, spreading this evenly across the entire surface. Place in an oven pre-heated to 220°C and bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve immediately with a Cucumber and Yoghurt Salad

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