In Turkey, Armenia and the Levant, a meat-topped flatbread known as lahmajoun comes topped with spiced ground lamb, tomatoes and bell pepper. With the dough stretched paper-thin, diners typically drizzle the dish with lemon juice and roll it up to eat.
We were in Istanbul when we came across this tasty, social dish, which fills a similar place in the culture as pizza in many other places, with equally exacting standards for what makes a good lahmajoun. The toppings are chopped coarsely for a rustic texture, the dough is expertly stretched by hand, and the flatbread cooks in minutes in a roaring-hot oven.
Though delicious, authentic lahmajoun is out of reach for kids trying to do something nice for Father’s Day. That’s why we created this recipe for our book “Cook What You Have,” which draws on pantry staples to assemble easy, weeknight meals. Kids can help out, though the recipe does involve a food processor and a very hot oven.
We swap the usual homemade flatbread dough for store-bought pita breads. Simply combine the meat mixture in a food processor and spread onto the pita, then bake it in a hot oven. Either ground lamb or beef will taste great with a mixture of paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes.