heavy cream
1 cup lightly toasted, finely ground pistachios (see page 91)
4 rectangular pieces of lavash, about 18 inches long (or long rounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 peaches, halved and pits removed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup thick Greek yogurt for garnish
LAMEJUN
Lamejun is a flatbread, like pizza, served in Turkey and Armenia, and made with spices, onion, and ground lamb that is finely chopped to a paste. I had my first lamejun with my friend Ayfer Unsal in her hometown of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey. We watched the village bakers chop the meat by hand to make a paste with onions, parsley, and chilies. They smoothed a thin layer on the flatbread dough and then cooked it in a wood-fired oven, while Ayfer and I stood there, salivating with anticipation.
With lamejun, the thinner the dough and topping, the better—just like a good Neapolitan-style (thin crust) pizza. The meat is raw when it goes into the dough before baking, and the flatbread absorbs all the meat juices as it bakes.
I like to get lamejun from my favorite store in Watertown, Massachusetts: Sevan Bakery, owned by the Chavushian family. The Chavushians are from Istanbul, and they make wonderfully thin—like tortillas—beef lamejun that I buy frozen and keep in my freezer for late-night or quick snacks. They are so light but satisfying, especially with some good Greek yogurt and plenty of sumac sprinkled on top.
1. Place the chicken breasts, skinless side down, on a chopping board. Cut the breasts down the middle on one side of the thin cartilage that separates the breasts. Trim off the cartilage attached to the other breast and discard. Trim off any remaining pieces of cartilage or fat and cut into 2-inch chunks.
2. Use a food processor fitted with a metal blade to grind the chicken to a paste until it comes together in a ball and becomes smooth and thick, about 1 minute. The mixture must get smooth enough or it will crack and break up as it cooks into the lavash or pizza dough.
3. Using the pulse button on the food processor, incorporate the onion, scallions, red pepper, sumac, za’atar, salt, and egg white, until the vegetables and spices are thoroughly mixed into the paste, about six times on the pulse button.
4. Place into a small mixing bowl, stir in the cream and pistachios, and set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
6. Cut each lavash into 3 equal pieces, so you have six 5 × 6-inch rectangles. If your lavash is round or extra large, cut out six 5 × 6 or 5 × 7-inch rectangles. Set aside covered with plastic or tucked back inside the bag.
7. Drizzle the olive oil onto a heavy baking sheet and place the peaches on the sheet with the cut side down. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the peaches in the oven for 12 minutes or until they are just soft and tender when poked with a knife. When cool, remove the skin using a paring knife. If the peaches are ripe and tender from being cooked, the skin should pull right off. Cut each peach half in 6 slices and set aside.
8. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each lavash and spread it as thinly as possible and as close to each corner as possible so the mixture coats the bread in an, even layer. If the mixture sticks to the spatula, dip the spatula into a little water or olive oil and continue spreading.
9. Place the lamejuns on a heavy baking sheet or pizza stone and bake them for about 12 minutes or until they are crisp and the chicken mixture is cooked through. (To create a unique lamejun shape, see presentation variation below.)
10. Top each lamejun with 2 slices of peach and a dollop of yogurt and serve hot.
Fresh Pizza Dough Variation
To are use fresh pizza dough in place of lavash, divide one recipe of manaaeesh dough (page 240) into 4 equal balls and roll them out, dusting with flour as you go, into thin rounds not thicker than ¼ inch. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high and par cook them for 3 minutes on each side. Then proceed with step 8 using 2/3 cup chicken mixture on each
1 cup lightly toasted, finely ground pistachios (see page 91)
4 rectangular pieces of lavash, about 18 inches long (or long rounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 peaches, halved and pits removed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup thick Greek yogurt for garnish
LAMEJUN
Lamejun is a flatbread, like pizza, served in Turkey and Armenia, and made with spices, onion, and ground lamb that is finely chopped to a paste. I had my first lamejun with my friend Ayfer Unsal in her hometown of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey. We watched the village bakers chop the meat by hand to make a paste with onions, parsley, and chilies. They smoothed a thin layer on the flatbread dough and then cooked it in a wood-fired oven, while Ayfer and I stood there, salivating with anticipation.
With lamejun, the thinner the dough and topping, the better—just like a good Neapolitan-style (thin crust) pizza. The meat is raw when it goes into the dough before baking, and the flatbread absorbs all the meat juices as it bakes.
I like to get lamejun from my favorite store in Watertown, Massachusetts: Sevan Bakery, owned by the Chavushian family. The Chavushians are from Istanbul, and they make wonderfully thin—like tortillas—beef lamejun that I buy frozen and keep in my freezer for late-night or quick snacks. They are so light but satisfying, especially with some good Greek yogurt and plenty of sumac sprinkled on top.
1. Place the chicken breasts, skinless side down, on a chopping board. Cut the breasts down the middle on one side of the thin cartilage that separates the breasts. Trim off the cartilage attached to the other breast and discard. Trim off any remaining pieces of cartilage or fat and cut into 2-inch chunks.
2. Use a food processor fitted with a metal blade to grind the chicken to a paste until it comes together in a ball and becomes smooth and thick, about 1 minute. The mixture must get smooth enough or it will crack and break up as it cooks into the lavash or pizza dough.
3. Using the pulse button on the food processor, incorporate the onion, scallions, red pepper, sumac, za’atar, salt, and egg white, until the vegetables and spices are thoroughly mixed into the paste, about six times on the pulse button.
4. Place into a small mixing bowl, stir in the cream and pistachios, and set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
6. Cut each lavash into 3 equal pieces, so you have six 5 × 6-inch rectangles. If your lavash is round or extra large, cut out six 5 × 6 or 5 × 7-inch rectangles. Set aside covered with plastic or tucked back inside the bag.
7. Drizzle the olive oil onto a heavy baking sheet and place the peaches on the sheet with the cut side down. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the peaches in the oven for 12 minutes or until they are just soft and tender when poked with a knife. When cool, remove the skin using a paring knife. If the peaches are ripe and tender from being cooked, the skin should pull right off. Cut each peach half in 6 slices and set aside.
8. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each lavash and spread it as thinly as possible and as close to each corner as possible so the mixture coats the bread in an, even layer. If the mixture sticks to the spatula, dip the spatula into a little water or olive oil and continue spreading.
9. Place the lamejuns on a heavy baking sheet or pizza stone and bake them for about 12 minutes or until they are crisp and the chicken mixture is cooked through. (To create a unique lamejun shape, see presentation variation below.)
10. Top each lamejun with 2 slices of peach and a dollop of yogurt and serve hot.
Fresh Pizza Dough Variation
To are use fresh pizza dough in place of lavash, divide one recipe of manaaeesh dough (page 240) into 4 equal balls and roll them out, dusting with flour as you go, into thin rounds not thicker than ¼ inch. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high and par cook them for 3 minutes on each side. Then proceed with step 8 using 2/3 cup chicken mixture on each
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