Lebanese Lahmacun with Spiced Lamb

• 300 glamb mince (20% fat)
• 1small onion, very finely chopped
• 1medium tomato, grated (skin discarded)
• ½red pepper, very finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 20 gparsley, finely chopped
• 10 gmint leaves: 8 g finely chopped, 2 g torn to finish
• 1 tbsptomato purée
• 1 tbsppomegranate molasses
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• ½ tspground cinnamon
• ¼ tspchilli flakes
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 6large flour tortillas, about 60 g each
• 1 tbspextra virgin olive oil
• 1red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
• 1 tbspsumac
• ½ tspflaky sea salt
• 15 mllemon juice
• 15 gflat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 150 gfull-fat Greek yoghurt
• 1lemon, cut into wedges, optional (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan with two heavy baking trays inside. The hot trays help the thin bases crisp before the topping dries out.
2. 2Make the sumac-lemon onions first so they soften while you work. Toss the sliced red onion with the sumac, flaky salt and the lemon juice in a small bowl, then scrunch with your hands for a full 30 seconds. The onion should turn rosy and start to slacken; the acid pulls the raw bite out and draws the sumac through.
3. 3Grate the tomato on the coarse side of a box grater straight into a sieve set over a bowl. Press gently and let it drain for a couple of minutes, then discard the watery juice. Too much liquid here and the flatbread goes soggy before the meat cooks.
4. 4Mix the lamb with the drained grated tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, 20 g chopped parsley, 8 g chopped mint, tomato purée, pomegranate molasses, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, chilli flakes, fine salt, black pepper and the tablespoon of olive oil.
5. 5Mix until spreadable. Fry a small, flattened tester until cooked through before tasting it. If the mixture is too stiff to spread, loosen it with a teaspoon of water.
6. 6Divide the mixture evenly between the six tortillas, spreading it in a thin layer right to the edges.
7. 7Bake two or three at a time on the hot trays for 6–8 minutes, swapping shelves if needed, until the bases are crisp and the lamb topping is cooked through, reaching 75°C for 30 seconds. Allow the trays to reheat between batches.
8. 8Transfer to a board as they finish and cover loosely to keep warm while the remaining flatbreads cook.
9. 9Divide the sumac onions, 15 g chopped parsley, yoghurt, 2 g torn mint and tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil between the flatbreads. Serve one and a half per person with optional lemon wedges. Fold to eat while warm.

Per serving

kcal

646

protein

27.6g

fibre

7.4g

carbs

69.1g

fat

29.1g