Grandma Esther Parnas used to serve the Lachmaziks for Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, (though there’s no reason these couldn’t join the fried food smorgasbord on Hanukkah) and it was the first thing snatched from the table because everyone knew it should be eaten piping hot, straight from the fryer.
Ingredients for Lachmaziks
For the dough:
- 3½ cups (500 grams) flour
- 2¼ teaspoons (7 grams) Dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 tablespoon (10 grams) Sugar
- 2 cup (480 ml) water
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup (50 grams) olive oil
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion medium size, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1.1 lbs (500 grams) ground beef
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts chopped
- ½ bunch parsley
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt
- ½ lemon
For serving:
- ½ lemon (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the filling:
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1. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until golden.
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2. Add the garlic and fry for about 2 minutes. Increase the heat, add the meat and fry while stirring until it changes color. Add pine nuts, parsley, salt and pepper, mix well and remove from heat.
Prepare the dough:
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3. Mix flour, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add water gradually. When the dough starts to come together, slowly add salt and olive oil and continue mixing for about 10 minutes until the dough is uniform and soft. If the dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water. Form the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise for about 45 minutes until it doubles in size.
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4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide into 12 evenly sized balls. Cover the balls with a towel and let them rise for about fifteen minutes.
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5. Make a circular hollow in each dough ball, place a spoonful of the filling in the center and close again into a ball shape. Place the balls on small parchment paper rounds and let rise again for about fifteen minutes.
Fry and serve:
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6. Heat oil for deep frying and fry the Lachmaziks carefully with the parchment paper attached. When the dough is golden, turn the balls over and remove the baking paper. Remove the Lachmaziks, plate and squeeze a drop of lemon on top. Serve hot.
Chef Aviya Parnas's Lachmaziks - Sephardic fried dough filled with meat. Photography by Daniel Lailah