Balkan Treat Box chef-owner Loryn Nalic adapts popular recipe for home cooks

A signature dish at Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves, lahmacun, can now be made at home in your kitchen.

by

One of the signature dishes at Balkan Treat Box, lahmacun, is a Turkish flatbread topped with savory ingredients. At the popular Webster Groves restaurant, the flatbread is cooked in a wood-fired oven and rolled up similar to a burrito. Chef-owner Loryn Nalic has adapted the recipe, however, for home cooks. This recipe can be made with either ground beef or vegetarian-friendly cauliflower rice, just like the lahmacun offered at Balkan Treat Box. In both preparations, the flatbread gets its spicy, earthy flavor from The Spice Hunter® Spicy Garlic Global Fusion Rub.

To complete the recipe, seek out The Spice Hunter® Spicy Garlic Global Fusion Rub in the spice aisle at your local Schnucks or Dierbergs store. (Chef tip: Choosing quality spices can make a huge difference in the outcome of your dish.)

Lahmacun

Recipe by Balkan Treat Box chef-owner Loryn Nalic

Serves 4

  • 8 oz. ground beef (or make a vegetarian version of the dish with cauliflower rice)
  • ½ sweet red pepper, cored, sliced into chunks
  • ½ small yellow onion, halved
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 5 sprigs of fresh parsley leaves, plus some stem
  • 5 sprigs of fresh mint leaves
  • 1½ Tablespoons The Spice Hunter® Spicy Garlic Global Fusion Rub
  • 1½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 4 Tablespoons Turkish hot red pepper paste or tomato paste
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup water (omit if using cauliflower rice)
  • 4 thin-style pita breads
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
  • Finely chopped fresh parsley and mint, for garnish
  • Shaved onion, for garnish

Directions:

  1. Set the oven broiler to high. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Add ground beef or cauliflower rice to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a food processor, add red peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, Spicy Garlic Global Fusion Rub, salt, hot red pepper or tomato paste, olive oil and water if using ground beef, and purée. Add the purée to your ground beef or cauliflower, and stir until well-combined.
  4. Assemble lahmacun. Place four flatbreads on the prepared baking sheets. Top each flatbread with about ¼ to ½ cup of mixture. Spread it as thin as possible all the way to the edges.
  5. Broil in the oven for about five to seven minutes or until the meat mixture is cooked through.
  6. Squeeze just a little bit of lemon juice over the top, and garnish with onions and herbs. Slice lahmacun similar to how you would slice a pizza, and serve hot or at room temperature.