Lahmajun – The Ultimate Quick Snack!

Step into any Armenian-American household, and chances are you'll find a pack of frozen Lahmajun (also called Lahmacun or Lahmajo) nestled snugly in the freezer, ready to save the day when hunger strikes! It's like a delicious secret weapon – always there, always ready to satisfy those snack cravings in a pinch.

Picture this: a blend of minced meat, veggies, and spices, all spread over thin dough, like a pizza. Sound mouthwatering? You bet! This delightful creation hails from the Middle East, where it's been a beloved part of the culinary landscape for generations.

Back to those frozen packs of Lahmajun. If you're craving something tasty, but you don't have time to cook, Lahmajun to the rescue! Just pop one in the oven, and within minutes, you've got yourself a satisfying and delicious snack. There are countless ways to enjoy this delicious dish. You can wrap it up with salad, Armenian string cheese, pickled veggies or simply a bit of parsley and a squirt of lemon juice. I also like to make them bite size for parties as an appetizer or part of a mezze. It's a labor of love but well worth it when you have a stash in your freezer ready for a quick lunch.

Ingredients:

Filling

• 1lb Lamb or beef mince

• 1 cup packed parsley

• 1 small yellow onion

• 1 cloves garlic

• 1/2 red bell pepper

• 200g canned chopped tomato or one very large fresh tomato

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dough

• 500 grams flour

• 3/4 cup warm water

• 2 teaspoons active yeast

• 1teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

Prepare Dough

• In a cup stir sugar into warm water until dissolved. Stir in yeast and let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer add all dough ingredients, mix, then kneed for about 5 minutes. This will be a firm dough. If you down have a stand mixer you can mix by hand but will need to kneed the dough a bit longer.

• Set aside, covered, in a warm spot for 1-2 hours until doubled. The time it takes depends of how warm your kitchen is.

Prepare Filling

• Place all filling ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pules several times until finely chopped. Place this mixture into a bowl with the meat of your choice and squish together by hand until fully mixed. I find putting the meat into the processor also breaks down the meat too much.

Put it all together!

• Preheat oven to 440°f/225°c. If using a pizza stone, which I recommend, place it in there now on the middle rack. Otherwise use a sheet pan. You can also cook these on the stovetop in a heavy bottomed pan with a lid.

• Divide the risen dough into 8 balls, set aside and cover. Working one at a time, roll out each ball of dough as this as you can, about 12 inches across. Place the dough on a bit of parchment paper (for ease of oven transfer)

• Place a hefty spoon full of the meat mixture on top of rolled out dough and press it into the dough. If you just spread it around the meat will not cling to the dough when cooked and might just fall right off.

• Place the dough (on the paper) onto the pizza stone or baking sheet and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it towards the end of the 10 minutes. Prepare the next lahmajun while the first is cooking and continue on in this fashion until they are all cooked.

Notes

• Lahmajun can be frozen for 2 months in a freezer safe bag with a square of parchment between each one to prevent sticking or stored in the fridge for 4 days.

• Reheating- you can reheat in the microwave but they will be soft. To retain the crispy edge you should reheat in the oven at 400°f/205°c or a toaster oven for 5 minutes or 10 minutes from frozen.

• Quick hacks- if you don't have time for dough making you can always get store bough pizza dough.