Armenian Meat Pie (Lahmajoon) with Quick Yogurt-Spelt Dough

Lahmajoon, or “dough with meat”, is a well known Armenian dish, with many variations all around the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It is traditionally made with yeast dough, shaped into a circle, like cheese pizza.

Here, I’ve decided to use dough that is quicker to make, made with yogurt and olive oil, instead of the traditional yeast dough.

To make things even easier, I rolled the dough over a cookie sheet pan and baked it as a large rectangle pie. I also added some pine nuts on top of the meat layer, for extra flavor and crunchiness.

The result is crispy dough, with tasty-spicy meat topping. Served with a green salad, it makes a nice quick lunch or dinner.

* If the amount here is too much for your needs, you can easily cut all the amounts in half and prepare a smaller pie.

Makes: 12
Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 20-22 minutes
Ingredients:
For the dough:
2 cups flour
1 cup Spelt flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 Tbs salt
17.6 oz (500 grams) thick 2% yogurt
½ cup Kefir or buttermilk
2 Tbs olive oil
For the meat layer:
0.9 lb (400 grams) lamb shoulder (or beef), cut into small cubes
1 small onion, cut in half
6 cherry tomatoes
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup washed and dried cilantro, packed
¼ cup washed and dried parsley, packed
½ jalapeno or according to taste
2 Tbs pine nuts

1. The dough: in a large bowl, mix the flours, baking powder and salt. Add the yogurt, kefir and olive oil. Knead to a fairly sticky dough (add flour only if too sticky to shape, otherwise the dough will be too dense). Shape into a round, cover and set aside.

2. Line a cookie sheet pan (18”x26” (45cm x 66cm)) with foil and baking paper. Turn the oven to 500F (260C).
3. The meat topping: place all the ingredients for the meat layer – except for the pine nuts – in a food processor, with the metal blade. Process to a paste.

4. Roll the dough on a lightly floured working space, to a rectangle a bit larger than the pan. Place the dough in it  and prick it all over with a fork.

5. Spread the meat paste evenly on top. Bake for 17 minutes. Scatter the pine nuts on top of the meat layer and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until golden.

6. Transfer to a large cutting board. Cut into squares with a large, heavy knife.