Lahmacun

My husband was born and raised in Turkey. He grew up eating lahmacun and the bigger he grew, the more he ate. Once he settled in the U.K. it became more of a novelty to have on occasion. We prefer a plant-based diet most of the time and he was shocked when I served these that it was mushroom instead of meat. He thought he was eating meat lahmacun until I told him! Traditionally it’s made with ground beef and lamb, but minced mushrooms in the food processor makes an equally delicious and healthier for you dish. We hope you enjoy these as much as we do. The dough is exactly the same as my pizza dough, just rolled a tad thinner. It’s best to let the dough rest for 1 hour after mixing. It can be made by hand, but it’s a breeze in the food processor.

Dough:

Makes: 8 small, 4 large

1 7/8 cups (200g) white bread flour

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (125mls) water

½ teaspoon sugar

1 level teaspoon rapid rising dry yeast

1 Tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. In a food processor place the dry ingredients: flour and salt.

2. In a liquid measuring cup, measure: 1/2 cup of warm water and add 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon dried yeast & 1 Tablespoon oil and stir with a spoon.

3. Pour the water over the dry ingredients in the large bowl (or food processor) and mix to form a dough that comes together in a ball, run food processor for 30 more seconds and leave to rise for 1 hour inside the bowl. While dough rises, prepare the topping.

4. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll the dough flat, in small circles about 1/8" thick. Preheat the oven if using and line baking tray with parchment paper.

5. Decide on cooking method: If using the stove top, gently heat your skillet over low heat, being careful not to allow it to get too hot and smoke. It’s important to not have excess flour on the dough that will burn. Cook each flatbread covered with a lid, approximately 7 minutes until bottom is browned. If using the broiler: approx. 3-4 minutes until bottoms are browned, this allows you to cook more than 1 at a time.

6. Using your finger tips or a spoon press/smoosh the mushroom mixture into the dough, approximately 1-2Tablespoon per dough round. Cover the majority of the dough, leaving a very small uncovered crust edge.

Topping:

1/2 package mushrooms (any kind) ***or 1/2 lb. (250g) minced beef or lamb (or some of both)

1 jarred roasted red pepper

1/2 red bell pepper

1/4 onion

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove

large handful parsley

1 teaspoon paprika (or smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Optional: chili flakes, handful hazelnuts, or green olives

Method:

1. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until minced finely, but not fully blended into a paste. Top dough with mixture, see above.