lebanese recipe

[Safsoufi]

Hello all!

I am looking for a lebanese recipe that resembles what I once ate in tripoli:

shape: square (folded edges)
the base is a pastry is kind of like puff pastry.
the filling (simply placed on top) is made of minced lamb + pine nuts + finely diced onion...and the flavour is distinctly has promgrenate. its kind of like the taste like the meat mixture used to make ablama.

We have tried to make the recipe like that of lamehbagne but instead of using tomato ingredients we used promgrenate but it wasnt quite there!

any ideas? any advice would be great
thank u!

[Um Safia]

Hi there, I think what you had is definitely a version of l'ham bil ajeen. Like most countries there are regional /family variations to all traditional recipes.

Have a look at this recipe and see if it's similar to the one you tried. Make sure to source a high quality pomegranite molasses to guarantee a good result!

Lahem Bil Ajine

Dough - use pizza dough or puff pastry
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp olive oil1 tsp brown sugar
4 onions, finely chopped3 1/2 oz (100 g) pine nuts
8 large plum tomatoes small handful of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 lb (450 g) ground lamb small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Lebanese spice mix
Greek-style yogurt or tahini, for serving
1 tbsp tomato puree lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. To make the topping, heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan, saute pan, or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 4 minutes until soft but not too brown.

2. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half. Hold one of the halves with the skin side in the palm of your hand. Using a large grater, grate the flesh of the tomato. (This is a great way of making tomato pulp without having to blanch and peel the tomatoes; the skin remains in your hand and can be discarded.) Set aside.

3. Add the lamb to the onion mixture, and cook for 4–5 minutes until browned, breaking up any large pieces of meat with a spatula. Season with the spices and a good amount of salt and pepper. Add the grated tomato pulp, tomato puree, pomegranate molasses, and sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes or until any liquid has evaporated. Stir in the pine nuts, cilantro, and flat-leaf parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove from the heat, and let the mixture cool.

4. Meanwhile, if using pizza dough, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Break the dough off into 15–20 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into rounds or oval shapes on a floured work surface. If using puff pastry, preheat oven to 180°C - cut into squares, score around the edges to make a border Lightly spread the meat and pine nut filling onto the rolled pastry, leaving a border around the edge. Place on one or more oiled baking sheets, and bake for 12–15 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve at once, with a little yogurt or tahini spooned over the top, or simply served with a wedge of lemon.

Good luck and happy cooking!