Lahmacun Recipe : Meat Pizza

 

#Appetizer #Main Course #Middle Eastern

 

Yield: 12 individual mini pizzas

  

Meat topping

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 celery stalk

1 pound ground beef, chicken or lamb

Spice mixture

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/4 teaspoon pepper or most if desired

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cardamom  

Topping

2 ounces tomato paste 

4 dried apricots, minced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon pine nuts, optional

Dough

12 mini pizza rounds or street tacos

Olive oil for greasing

Garnish

1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried  mint

1-2 tablespoons tahini to drizzle

 

1. In a mini food processor or by hand, mince onion, celery and garlic.

2. Place ground meat in a bowl. Add minced vegetables. Mix spices together and sprinkle on the meat. Then add vegetable mixture and topping on top of meat. Mix well.

3. Reheat oven to 400F. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease with olive oil. Set aside.

4. Place each of the mini doughs on the baking sheet. Keep pieces separated, but they can be close together.

5. Put a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture on each piece of dough and gently flatten the meat with a fork. Leave a tiny border of dough around the meat. The meat shrinks when it cooks. Sprinkle mint on top of each piece.

6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until dough is golden brown on edges and bottom.

7. Let the lachmacum sit on baking pan a few minutes until cool enough to handle and remove with a spatula. Garnish with a thin drizzle of tahini. Plate and serve warm.

8. To Freeze: place each lachmacun on a parchment lined tray and freeze. In about an hour or when frozen, place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, place on a baking sheet at 350F (175C) until warmed.