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Lahmacun

3.8

(3)

This thin, crisp Turkish flatbread is typically rolled into a cone before eating.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Tomato sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 serrano chile, seeded, chopped
1 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup canned piquillo peppers, chopped
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Meat:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/4 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon ras-el-hanout
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Assembly:

1/2 pound pizza dough, room temperature
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Olive oil (for drizzling)
Ingredient info: Ras-el-hanout, a Moroccan spice blend, and Aleppo pepper are available at specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

Preparation

  1. For tomato sauce:

    Step 1

    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and serrano chile and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, breaking them up with your hands, piquillo peppers, brown sugar, vinegar, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and mashing with a potato masher (or a spoon), until thickened, 15–20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then purée in a blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper to taste.

  2. For meat:

    Step 2

    Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5–8 minutes. Add lamb, beef, Aleppo pepper, ras-el-hanout, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

  3. For assembly:

    Step 3

    Place a rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 500°F. Cut dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining pieces covered, gently stretch dough into 12" rounds and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. (If dough springs back, let rest 10 minutes, then stretch again, resting as needed, until dough is thin).

    Step 4

    Spread each round of dough with a layer of tomato sauce; season with salt and pepper and top with a thin layer of meat mixture. Working in batches, cook lahmacun until crusts are browned and crisp, 10–12 minutes.

    Step 5

    Toss parsley and lemon juice in a small bowl. Top each lahmacun with parsley mixture and drizzle with oil.

    Step 6

    DO AHEAD: Sauce and meat mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and keep chilled.

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