Hypoallergenic Lahmacun

     Lahmacun, often described as "Turkish pizza" or "Turkish burritos," is one classic Turkish food that requires very little adjustment to be made free of major allergens.  Usually it has a very flexible crust made of a thin layer of wheat dough. This is topped by a spicy meat mixture.  After lahmacun is baked it is sometimes garnished with roasted eggplant mixed with a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt, chopped parsley and green onion dusted with a bit of sumac, parsley leaves, thin-sliced tomatoes and/or a squeeze of lemon juice.  Often it is folded up and eaten like a sandwich.
   
     In terms of allergens, the crust is the main complication. I use a Food for Life rice tortilla, which allows me to avoid both wheat and yeast. (It does contain xanthan gum, which may have a corn-based source, and the individual tortillas are separated by sheets of paper which also may contain corn products. It does not contain corn ingredients as such, and I tolerate it well enough in spite of my allergy to corn. This is, of course, no guarantee for other corn allergy sufferers.)  Unfortunately, rice tortillas are rather dry, break easily and tend to scorch.  The solution is to wet them before they go into the oven. This sounds like an odd thing to do, but it works like a charm. 

Topping: enough for about a dozen lahmacuns
     2 Tb. oil  (See Oil in the Glossary)
     2 onions, chopped small
     1 tsp. salt  (See Salt in the Glossary)
     6 cloves garlic, minced
     2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped  

          (See Produce in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. red pepper for a slight amount of heat; 1 tsp. paprika for mild 

           lahmacun (See Spices in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)
     1 c. firmly packed mint leaves, chopped fine (See Produce in the 

          Glossary) 
     1 c. firmly packed parsley leaves, chopped fine (See Produce in the 

          Glossary)
     1 lb. ground beef and/or lamb

Rice tortillas 

      Place a cooky sheet in the middle of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

     Heat the oil on medium heat; add the onions and saute gently until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, taking care not to brown either the onions or the garlic. Set aside to cool while you measure all the other ingredients into a medium bowl. Add the onions and thoroughly knead the mixture together. 

     For each lahmacun: Thoroughly wet one rice tortilla and shake off the excess moisture. Scoop topping mixture onto the tortilla and spread it evenly (about 1/3 c. of topping mixture for a 9-inch tortilla). Take the cooky sheet out of the oven; depending on your cooky sheet, you may need to grease it lightly. Immediately transfer the lahmacun to the cooky sheet and put it back in the oven. Bake until the meat is cooked, about 8 minutes. 

     Alternatively, you can cook a lahmacun on top of a preheated griddle (350 F or so).

Raw                                                            Cooked                                                                  Rolled up