Wife away day 4: Pide Lahmajun
Monday, April 19, 2010 at 5:32PM
The nights are getting longer, the days are getting shorter and the belly is getting fuller.
We're running out of time before my wife gets home, so we have to get in as much bad food as possible. I should clarify that last statement. This isn't really bad food. It's really a great flat bread, but it is a pizza, and yesterday was a burger, and the day before that was pasta with bacon. So, er...it's a good thing I made the jicama and grapefruit salad on day one.
Below is a delicious Turkish lamb pizza that you should try. There are several varieties of this pizza - some use cheese, others have spinach and really out-of-this-world varieties include lamb, spinach, cheese and eggs. But for this post, let's just focus on the basic lamb pide as seen above. These are good enough to roll up and put in your pocket for a snack. I did that when I went to the gym this morning, and boy, was I popular.
You will need basic pizza dough, the recipe can be found here. And you will need the lamb mixture as outlined below.
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- sesame seeds
This is an example of a pide with cheese. Yum!
- Heat a sauce pan with a dollop of butter and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Don’t forget to season it with salt and pepper early. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Meanwhile, combine the lamb, tomatoes, jalapeno, parsley and spices in a bowl and mix with your hands. Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture to the bowl and combine well. Cut the dough into 6 even sized pieces. Roll each piece flat, making a longish, oval shape.
- Shmear the lamb mixture across the dough in a thin layer being careful not to tear it.
- Fold the edges of the dough over the lamb (as seen in the pictures), brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for about 20 minutes on 425 F.
- Serve with a generous squeeze of lemon. Yum.
Suggested pairing: Parsley, and more lemon wedges.
And this is a folded pide. We'll save this for another post. Maybe.
And this is pide with cheese, straight from the oven.
And this is the pide of choice. It is a gym-friendly, delicious pie, or rather a pide.
Reader Comments (10)
I am a big fan of lahmajun! That is such a delicious specialty! Yours looks fantastic!
you are hysterical. i'm sure if ever i were to leave my fiancee alone in the home, he'd be doing much the same thing; although i try my hardest to cater to his [and let's be honest, mine too] carnivorous, voracious appetite! i've had lahmajun bookmarked for a long time in my middle eastern cookbook. next time lamb is on sale i'm snatching some up, because you've certainly given me the kick i needed to put the recipe into action! looks great.
cheers,
*heather*
I am so happy to have found this recipe. I spent last summer in Eastern Europe and was a Pide conosseuir! I will be making this very soon - thanks!
I fell in love with this when I saw it on "No Reservations". I found a recipe online, using pita bread instead of pizza dough, and have made it a couple of times, but your recipe sounds better and I will immediately make this. OMG heavenly just heavenly.
Hi - I would love it if you'd tell us what that cheese mixture is on top - it looks fantastic!
@ Christine - I use a combination of mozzarella and greek feta cheese. I add two eggs and a more parsley and then mix it by hand. When it bakes, it makes a delicious, creamy-cheese layer, without the stretchiness of traditional pizzas.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
@Erin - Glad to hear there are other "pidies" out there. If you decide to make this dish, I would adjust the seasoning to your own taste. I use more cayenne pepper and a touch more cumin than the recipe outlines. Good luck!
@Heather - Your fiancé sounds like a lucky man. Good luck with this recipe. I hope you like it.
@Zilli - I missed that episode of No Reservations, but how could Tony steer you wrong? It really is delicious. I hope you like this version using dough instead of pita.
@Cherine - Give it a try and let me know how it works out.
Oh man you are torturing me with those pics!! I don't know how you were able to choose just one pide, they all look VERY VERY edible.
@Marisa - Sorry for the torturing :). As for how I chose which pide to eat, I skillfully and arbitrarily tried each pide...until I was very full. You should make this. It is well worth the effort.