Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza)

Two slices of Lahmacun and a salad make a satisfying meal.

I just learned about Lahmacun while watching a television program about the foods of Turkey.

Of all the interesting foods they showed, the Lahmacun or Turkish pizza seemed like something that would be easy to reproduce and be well-received by my family.

Turkish pizza is different from Italian-style pizza in that the topping is just a mixture of ground meat, onion, garlic, eggplant and spices and is pressed into the dough before baking with no sauce underneath.

The result is a flavorful thin and crispy pizza that can be sliced and served or eaten as it is traditionally in Turkey by topping it with fresh ingredients like crispy lettuce, tomato and few spoonfuls of yogurt and rolling it like a burrito.

I served my Lahmacun sliced with a salad on the side and it was delicious — And an exotic addition to my pizza repertoire.

Pizza Dough
(makes one large or two medium sized pizzas)

1 1/4 cup water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 cups unbleached flour

Pour 1/4 cup of warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Let the mixture set until the yeast is bubbly.

Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of water. Add the salt and olive oil.
 
Add the flour 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary.
 
Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.





Lahmacun Topping
1 pound of ground meat (I used a combination of ground beef and ground pork), cooked and drained of all the fat
1 onion, chopped
1 small eggplant, diced into 1/2 -inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
olive oil

In a saucepan with a splash of olive oil, saute the onion and garlic over medium heat, add the eggplant and cook until the eggplant is soft. Add the meat, tomato paste and seasonings and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.

To Assemble:
Preheat the oven to 520 degrees. Spread half of the pizza dough on a sheet pan to form a 12-inch thin round. 

Evenly spread the meat mixture over the dough and press it into the dough with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the very hot oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until the pizza is dark brown and crispy.

Lahmacun before baking.

A slice of Lahmacun.