Cauliflower Crust Lachmagine

I’ve always enjoyed serving — and eating! — lachmagine, a Syrian meat pizza mezze, or appetizer. With cauliflower crust pizza so popular these days, I was inspired to try a cauliflower crust lachmagine for Pesach. I debuted it at the VIP Ram Pesach program (where I run cooking classes), and the Sephardic guests gave this recipe a thumbs-up for authentic flavor! Check out our interview with Naomi about Perfect for Pesach, her new cookbook!

Directions

Prepare the Crust

1. Shred the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles small crumbs.

2. Tightly wrap the cauliflower crumbs in a clean dish towel. (I divide the crumbs in half and use a separate dish towel for each half.) Squeeze the towel until the crumbs are dry. If the cauliflower is still cold from the freezer, let it sit out for 20 minutes and squeeze it again. The cauliflower should be very dry or the crust will become soggy.

3. Place the dry crumbs into a bowl; add eggs, salt, and spices. Mix really well until a “dough” forms.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with Gefen Parchment Paper; set aside.

5. Form a quarter cup of dough into a two- to three-inch round; place onto prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 15 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove pan from oven.

Tips:

To prepare in advance, prepare recipe through step 5, then freeze. Defrost, add the meat, and bake.

Prepare Meat Topping and Bake

1. Meanwhile, prepare the meat topping: Add all topping ingredients to a large bowl, mixing well to combine.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread a quarter cup of meat topping onto each baked round, pressing down so it sticks to the dough. Make sure to spread topping all the way to the edge, as the meat shrinks while it cooks. Sprinkle a few pine nuts on each, if using.

3. Bake until the meat is cooked through and browned, approximately 30 minutes.

Variations:

For a dairy meal, make mini pizzas: Prepare the cauliflower crust as directed above; add pizza sauce and cheese; bake in a preheated oven until cheese melts.

Credits

Reproduced from Perfect for Pesach by Naomi Nachman, with permission from the copyright holders ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, LTD. Photography by Miriam Pascal. Buy the book!

Recipe tags

Cauliflower Freezer-friendly Gluten free Ground beef Ground meat Jewish cuisine Jewish food Kosher Middle Eastern food Meat Middle Eastern cuisine Middle Eastern food Naomi nachman Non-gebrochts Non-gebrokts Perfect for Pesach Pesach Pizza Savory Savory appetizers Sefardi Sefardi food Sephardi Sephardi food The Aussie Gourmet Traditional Jewish food