Lahmacun

Turkish style traditional pizza topped with ground lamb or ground beef. Lahmacun is often served sprinkled with lemon juice and wrapped around parsley and chile flakes. Chilled ayran is the usual accompaniment for this snack in Turkey. And my favorite meal. Enjoy!

1 lb ground lamb or beef little fatty (not too lean)

1 medium onion finely diced

3 tomatoes finely diced

3 gloves garlic finely diced

1 long red chiles

1 tablespoon tomato paste

¼ cup italian parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons dried yeast
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups warm water

Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir well to mix. In a separate bowl, whisk the yeast into the water and whisk in the oil. Use your fingers to work in the flour and form a smooth ball. Transfer to a dough mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead on a low speed for 12-15 minutes until very smooth and shiny. Cover the mixer bowl with plastic wrap an allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature of the room.

Place the ground lamb or beef on a large chopping board and put the onion, tomato, parsley, paprika, red chiles, garlic and extra virgin olive oil on top. Use a very large knife to chop and mix everything together until well combined. The topping should be the consistency of a smooth, fine paste. Season with salt, black pepper and tomato paste.

Preheat the oven to 425F (220C) knock back the dough, then put it onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 10 portions. Roll each portion into a round, 6 inches in diameter. Bake for 8-10 minutes and serve piping hot.