Mazal, You are right about the allspice but this recipe does not need it. It could be that the seasonings in the ketchup do the job. Either way, I’m telling you, these lachmagine taste like all of the ones I’ve had at the Sepharadi Simachot I’ve been to. You cannot tell the difference at all.
I had heard that tip about the dough but I’ve never tried it myself. Does it really make a difference? Do you let it rise before you add the meat or after?
Usually I would say to bake them all at once, but I don’t have a very large meat oven and I don’t always have time to bake all the batches at one sitting.