Lahmajun with homemade tomato paste

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Dough base

1. 8
   Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in the lukewarm water and leave about 10 minutes, until the mixture foams.

   💡If the mixture doesn't foam in that time, the yeast is no longer active, or the water was too hot. Start over with fresh yeast and body-temperature water.
2. 9
   Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
3. 10
   Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil and Knead about 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
4. 11
   Cover and Let rise about an hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.

For the Lahmajun Meat Topping

1. 12
   In a bowl, mix the ground meat with the tomatoes, onion, red pepper, tomato paste and parsley.

   Bowl

   💡Grated tomatoes and onion release liquid: squeeze them lightly in a strainer before mixing, so the filling doesn't make the dough soggy.
2. 13
   Add the chili pepper, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and black pepper and knead by hand into a uniform mixture.
3. 14
   Preheat the oven to 230–250°C (445–480°F), with a baking stone inside.

   Oven
4. 15
   Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll each ball into a circle very thin, 2–3 mm.

   Rolling pin

   💡Dough that springs back needs rest: cover the balls for 10 minutes and the gluten relaxes.
5. 16
   Spread a very thin layer of the meat filling on each round, all the way to the edges.

   💡The filling bakes along with the dough in just a few minutes, so spread a very thin layer: a thick layer stays raw inside and makes the dough soggy.
6. 17
   Bake on the hot stone 8–10 minutes, until the edges are golden and the meat is cooked.

   OvenBaking stone (pizza stone)

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
7. 18
   Serve hot with fresh herbs, and roll up.