Lahmajoun (Armenian Pizza)

Just wanted to share this recipe with y'all.. made some earlier this morning, and thought some of you might like it.

Topping:

1 pound ground lean lamb (browned)
1 1/2 cup yellow onion chopped fine
1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of fresh sweet basil chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Allspice, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

To make a bit easier I like to chop up my onions, green peppers and garlic and then through it in the food processor for a couple "pulses". You don't want to puree it, but this helps chop it a little finer.

For the diced tomatoes you can dice your own, however for ease I use the canned type. I also like the water that is now more like a sauce that is in the can.

Once that is done, combine all of the ingredients with lamb, and saute just a little bit until the onions begin to soften.

It should look like this:


Dough:

You have two choices with Dough. I used to always make it from scratch. However, as life becomes more hectic I found I didn't have the time and I wasn't making this as often as I wanted to because of it, you can also use flour tortillas.

5 cups flour
1 pkg. dry yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegeatble oil
1/2 cup warm water

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. To the yeast add the salt, oil and another 1/2 cup of water. Stir well and pour over the flour. Mix well and pour out onto a floured board, knead until smooth and elastic.

If it feels too dry, wet your hands and keep kneading. Place in an oiled bowl, and coat the top with a thin film of oil. Cover and let rise until doubled (1-2 hrs depending on inside temperature). When doubled in size punch the dough down and divide into about 24 balls of equal size. Roll each into a circle about 6" in diameter.

The finished circles should be quite thin and should feel smooth.

Since flour tortillas are basically made from the same thing, are thin, smooth and the right size, it saves about 3 or 4 hours to not make your own dough.



Spread the topping evenly over the crust. It doesn't have to be very thick here, just a nice layer.




Cooking Instructions:

Option 1: If you made your own dough, cook this at around 450 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes directly on the bottom rack.

Option 2: If you decided to use premade flour tortillas, cook at about 425 for 6 - 7 minutes directly on the rack (raise the rack up to about the 2nd or 3rd from the bottom).

Enjoy. I don't like yogurt, but a lot of people like to eat this with yogurt as a condiment.