Lahmacun

Once I went to a Turkish restaurant in Skopje, Macedonia. It was well hidden from the eyes of the busy workers. It was too modest and besides the few but huge paintings on the wall there was nothing to decorate the place. I thought ''Are we really going to eat in this place?''. It turns out that I ate not one but two weird pizza looking Lahmacuns, that were simply delicious. Almost ten years have past since I ate those two to die for Lahmacuns, and this is the best recipe I've got.

 DIFFICULTY                                                                                                           TIME                                                  

                                                          

INGREDIENTS


For the dough

200g flour
40g yeast
1 1/2 tea spoon salt
1 tea spoon sugar
190ml water

For the topping

150g lamb or beef chopped in small cubes
4 spoons tomato puree
1 spoon chopped parsley
1/2 tea spoon pepper
1/8 tea spoon cinnamon
1/4 tea spoon poppy seeds
1/4 tea spoon paprika
1 small onion chopped in small pieces
2 cloves of garlic chopped in small pieces
1 cherry tomato chopped in small pieces
65ml olive oil



In a bowl put the yeast, the sugar and the water. Stir the mix and leave it 3-5 minutes, until it makes bubbles. In another bowl mix the flour with the salt and add the yeast. Mix until the dough until it gets smooth and a bit sticky.
Knead the dough 5-6 minutes.
Put the dough in another bowl already greased with oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic film. Leave the dough for an hour to rise, until it gets double of its volume.
When the dough is ready divide it in 4 equal parts. From every part make a ball and put it on a plate with flour. Cover the 4 balls with a wet kitchen cloth and leave them 45 minutes.
While you wait for the dough you can make the topping.
In a bowl mix the olive oil, the tomato puree, the parsley, the pepper, the poppy seeds, the paprika and the cinnamon.
In the mix add the meat, garlic, cherry tomato, the onion and salt and continue mixing.
Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Put the balls of dough on a baking paper and roll them to a flat circles with 25cm in diameter. 
With a spoon put the topping and spread equally around the circle. 
Bake 5 -8 minutes, until the dough has a golden brown color.
Serve it with lettuce and drops of lemon juice on top of the lajmacun.
It's best accompanied by Yogurt natural.