Lamb Pide

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, stock up on pastured meats from Fair Valley Farm and Fog Hollow Farm and fresh produce from Camas Swale Farm, including peppers, Asian pears, and winter squash.

With Fair Valley Farm's ground lamb, I've been making a Turkish ground lamb flat bread or pide adapted from the cookbook from Soframiz by Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick with recipes from a cafe from my hometown of Cambridge, MA. This recipe requires on stocking up on a few Turkish pantry items -- Turkish pepper paste and pomegranate molasses -- which I've found to come in handy for extra flavor for chilis (the pepper paste) and salad dressing (the molasses). The recipe is a bit of a commitment, so I've scaled it to make eight individual flatbreads, meaning that four can be frozen for another dinner. These are delicious with a big salad or bowl of soup.

Lamb Pide

(adapted from Soframiz by Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick, makes 8 pides)

dough
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 1/4 cup white flour
1 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp olive oil (divided use)

lamb filling
1 small onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp tried spearmint
1/1 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb ground lamb
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Turkish red pepper paste
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

1. To make the dough, combine the water, yeast and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Using the dough hook, knead on low speed for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth. If it feels stiff, you could add another Tbsp or two of water. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size, at least 1 hour. 

2. to prepare the lamb filling, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and diced onion and cook until glassy. Then add the dried spices and a pinch of salt, allow them to bloom in the oil for a minute, and then add the ground lamb. Cook, stirring, until the lamb is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste, pepper paste, and minced garlic and cook until dry, about 5 more minutes. Stir the pomegranate molasses, taste, and add more salt if needed.


3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a long oval. Divide the lamb filling between the eight dough ovals, spreading it along the center length of the dough and leaving an inch free on each side. Fold the long ends over the lamb filling, leaving a gap in the center, and pinch the ends together to make a canoe shape. Transfer four pides to each baking sheet. Brush the top dough with the remaining Tbsp olive oil. Baked until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm. Once cooled, the pides can be frozen and then reheated.