Lamb pizza ('lahma bi ajeen') recipe
These traditional Arab pizzas are popular in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey – they're commonly eaten as a street snack.
Ingredients
For the pizza- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 0.5 tsp sugar
- 350 g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 dash sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 225 g finely minced lean lamb
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp dried red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 2 tsp sumac
- 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Details
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Recipe Type: Snack
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 60 mins
- Cooking Time: 20 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- For the pizza: place the yeast and sugar in a bowl with 75ml (21/2fl oz) lukewarm water. Set aside for about 15 minutes, until it froths.
- Sift the flour and half a teaspoon of salt into a bowl. Make a well, add the yeast mix and 200–250ml (7–9fl oz) lukewarm water, and knead on a floured surface into a pliable dough until smooth. Drip the sunflower oil into the base of the bowl and roll the dough into it. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- For the topping, heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-based pan. Stir in the onion and garlic until soft. Leave to cool. Place the lamb in a bowl and add the tomato paste, sugar, chilli, mint, and the onion and garlic mixture. Season and knead the mixture. Cover and set aside. Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF/Gas 7).
- Grease 2 baking sheets and place in the oven. Knock back the dough and knead on a floured surface. Divide into 4 parts and roll into thin, flat circles. Place on the baking sheets, spread over a thin layer of the meat, and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the meat is cooked. Sprinkle with sumac and parsley, and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Recipe taken from Mediterranean Cookbook, by Marie-Pierre Moine, published by DK, £20, dk.com
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