Spinach Lamejun
Lamejun (lah·me·june) is very much like a pizza, only with a much thinner crust than that of pizza. The dough is traditionally topped with minced meat and minced vegetables, but we love Ana Sortun’s recipe featuring spinach, yummy haloumi (a semi-hard, unripened brined cheese from Cyprus made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk) and labne (lab·neh), made by draining full-fat yogurt.
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1½ pounds spinach, washed
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon dried mint
½ pound haloumi, finely grated
½ cup labne or crème fraiche
Salt and white pepper to taste
14–16 ounces pizza dough (preferably whole grain)
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt.
- Drop the spinach in the boiling water for 30 seconds or until it is completely wilted. Drain immediately and run a little cold water over it to cool it down.
- Squeeze as much liquid from the spinach as possible, by squeezing small amounts at a time between your palms.
- Place the spinach on a large chopping board along with the garlic, lemon zest, and mint. Use a large knife to mix everything together and chop as fine as possible. Place the chopped spinach in a large bowl, stir in labne and haloumi. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide the pizza dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-inch round. Par-cook them for several minutes per side in a heated cast iron pan. Spread a thin layer of the spinach mixture onto each round, going all the way to the edges. Bake until the top is a little bubbly but the lamejun is still soft and not crispy.
Note: To save time, use pita bread or a pre-cooked pizza shell.
Recipe by Ana Sortun, for Oldways’ Culinaria in Turkey in 2012; content and photo courtesy of Oldways.
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