A family-friendly dinner to fulfill Dad: Weeknight lahmajoun ‘pizza’ with spiced floor lamb

In Turkey, Armenia and the Levant, a meat-topped flatbread often called lahmajoun comes topped with spiced floor lamb, tomatoes and bell pepper. With the dough stretched paper-thin, diners usually drizzle the favored dish with lemon juice and roll it as much as eat.

We have been in Istanbul once we got here throughout this tasty, social dish, which fills an identical place within the tradition as pizza in lots of different locations, with equally exacting requirements for what makes a great lahmajoun. The toppings are chopped coarsely for a country texture, the dough is expertly stretched by hand, and the flatbread cooks in minutes in a roaring-hot oven.

Though scrumptious, genuine lahmajoun is out of attain for youths making an attempt to do one thing good for Father’s Day. That’s why we created this recipe for our e-book “Cook What You Have,” which pulls on pantry staples to assemble simple, weeknight meals. Kids might help out, although the recipe does contain a meals processor and a very popular oven.

We swap the standard selfmade flatbread dough for store-bought pita breads. Simply mix the meat combination in a meals processor and unfold onto the pita, then bake it in a scorching oven. Either floor lamb or beef will style nice with a combination of paprika, cumin and purple pepper flakes.

Served with lemon wedges on the aspect, it evokes the true factor whereas ending in about half an hour.
When processing the meat combination, don’t overdo it or the meat could change into powerful. Pulse just a few occasions, simply till mixed. If you want, end the dish with a sprinkling of contemporary herbs and a drizzle of cooling yogurt to enrich the spiced meat.

Weeknight lahmajoun flatbread ‘pizza’ topped with spiced floor lamb

Start to complete: half-hour

Makes 4 8-inch flatbreads

Ingredients:

Four 8-inch pita breads
1 small purple OR yellow onion, roughly chopped
¼ cup roasted purple peppers, drained and patted dry
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons floor cumin
¾ teaspoon purple pepper flakes
Kosher salt and floor black pepper
8 ounces floor beef OR floor lamb

Directions:

Heat the oven to 500°F with racks within the upper- and lower-middle positions. Arrange the pita breads on 2 rimmed baking sheets; put aside.

In a meals processor, pulse the onion till finely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add the roasted peppers, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Process till clean, about 10 seconds, scraping the bowl as wanted. Add the meat and pulse simply till integrated, 3 or 4 pulses.

Divide the meat combination evenly among the many pitas (a few scant ½ cup every) and unfold over the rounds, leaving a ½-inch border across the edge. Bake till the pitas are golden brown on the perimeters and the meat is scorching, switching and rotating the baking sheets midway via, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes, then switch to a reducing board and reduce into wedges.

Optional garnish: Chopped contemporary flat-leaf parsley OR whole-milk yogurt OR lemon wedges OR contemporary mint a mixture OR a mixture

Get extra recipes and dinner concepts from The Washington Times meals part.