Turkish Spiced Lamb Flatbread ( Lahmacun ) Recipe

From Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François.....

My friend Serap is a native of Istanbul and now owns Depot 62, a Turkish restaurant in Manchester, Vermont. She introduced my family to this richly spiced lamb-covered flatbread. When it came to the table. she sprinkled it with fresh parsley, squeezed a lemon over the top, and then rolled it up like a crepe. Of all the delicious foods she presented to us this was the most loved - Zoë

Makes one 10-inch flatbread (makes enough lamb for 4 flatbreads)

Ingredients:
1/4 pound (peach-size portion) lean or gluten-free dough
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tspn ground cumin
1 1/2 tspn ground coriander
1 tspn paprika
1 pound ground lamb
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tspn salt
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
flour for the pizza peel

Toppings:
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped yellow or white onions
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1 lemon, cut into quarters

Preparation:

1. Prepare the spicy lamb: Place a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and chopped onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft but not brown. Add the spices and cook for a minute, then add the ground lamb. Cook the lamb until it is evenly browned, breaking it up as it browns. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, and parsley. Set aside to cool before topping the flatbread. The lamb can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
2. Preheat a baking stone to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes. Sprinkle a pizza peel liberally with flour. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1/4 pound (peach-sized) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
3. Stretch the flatbread: Flatten the dough with your hands and/or a rolling pin on a work surface, or directly onto the wooden pizza peel, to produce a 1/16-inch-thick round (about 10 inches across). Dust with flour to keep the dough from adhering to the surface. Use a dough scraper to unstick the dough as needed, and transfer to a pizza peel if you haven't already stretched the dough on one. When you are finished, the dough round should have enough flour under it to move easily when you shake the peel.
4. Add the meat: Spread 1/3 cup of the meat evenly over the disk of dough. Save the remaining meat for more pizzas or freeze.
5. Slide the flatbread onto the preheated stone. If you're using a sheet pan, place it right on the stone. Check for doneness in 5 to 8 minutes, the crust should be baked through but remain pale and soft.
6. Serve immediately with chopped parsley, onions, tomatoes, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Cut into slices or roll up the flatbread like a crepe and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

Turkey [ print this recipe for Turkish Spiced Lamb Flatbread (Lahmacun) ]

Turkish Sesame and Fig Cake Recipe

Turkish Sesame and Fig Cake is a simple, mildly sweet cake that gets most of its flavor from a lime glaze that is applied right when the cake is taken out of the oven. Try it with this recipe for Turkish Coffee.

Recommended Equipment:
mixer
9 inch square cake pan

Ingredients:
5 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup confection sugar
2/3 cup semolina
zest of 1 lime
1 cup ground almonds (optional)
1 1/3 cups dried figs, chopped
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Ingredients - syrup:
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup confection sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a deep 9 inch square cake pan.
3. Using a mixer, whisk the egg yolks, lime zest, and sugar together.
4. Next, mix in the almonds and semolina.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks develop. Then slowly add the egg whites to the egg yolk and almond mixture.
6. Pour the cake batter evenly into the cake pan.
7. Sprinkle the chopped figs evenly across the top of the cake batter. Then sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly across the top of the cake.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
9. While the cake bakes you can make the syrup. In a saucepan, add the lime juice, confection sugar, and 5 tbsp. cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes or until syrupy and remove from heat.
10. Remove the cake from the oven and poke small holes into the top of the cake using a fork.
11. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the top of the cake.
12. Let cool and then cut the cake into squares and serve.

Turkey

Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is prepared using an ibrik but if you don't have one of these sitting around the house, you can use a small sauce pan to achieve similar results. This is a simple recipe that requires you to raise and lower the temperature of the coffee a few times to produce a more concentrated brew that is both strong and sweet.

Recommended Equipment:
ibrik

Ingredients:
1 cup water
3/4 tbsp sugar
1/8 tspn ground cardamom
1 tbsp finely ground coffee

Preparation:

1. In an ibrik or a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and add the coffee and the cardamom.
3. Return the ibrik to the heat and allow coffee to come to a boil once again.
4. When the coffee begins to foam, remove from the heat.
5. Repeat steps #3 and #4 again and then pour the coffee into cups and allow it to sit for a minute or two to allow the coffee grounds to settle at the bottom of the cup. This coffee is very strong and sweet so servings should be smaller than a regular cup of coffee.
   

Turkey