Palestinian Spinach Pies Food

FATAYER BI SABANEKH (LEBANESE SPINACH PIES)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water. Stir to combine, then let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Gradually stir in the oil, followed by the yeast with water until dough comes together.
• On a lightly greased surface, knead until smooth and elastic. Place in large bowl, cover, and let rest until doubled, 1-2 hours.
• Rinse the spinach and dry well to remove any moisture. Chop, place in a bowl, and toss with the 1 teaspoon salt.
• Using your hands, massage the salt into the spinach to coat thoroughly. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Squeeze excess moisture out of the finely chopped onion and place in a large bowl. Add the sumac, paprika, and black pepper.
• Squeeze the rested spinach well to remove as much moisture as possible and place in the bowl with the onions. Toss to coat with the onions and spices.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and pomegranate molasses. Pour over the spinach mixture and toss to coat immediately before assembling. Adjust spices to taste.
• Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or lightly grease.
• Divide the rested dough in half, covering one half with a towel. On a large, lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough into a thin sheet about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Use a 3 1/2 inch (9 cm) wide round cutter to cut out circles of dough.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle, being careful to not let it touch the edges. Top with a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts. Pull up three edges of the circle over the center of the filling and pinch well to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining circles and the other half of dough.
• Brush the tops of the assembled Fatayer with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven until golden, 15-20 minutes.
• Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature.

PALESTINIAN SPINACH PIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with the whole wheat flour, yeast, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Mix at medium speed until a soft, supple dough forms, about 10 minutes. Using oiled hands, transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough stand in a draft-free spot until slightly risen, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Add the diced onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes.
• Add the sumac and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the spinach and let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 450° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 pieces.
• Form each piece of dough into a ball, dust with flour and let stand for 10 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough to a 5-inch round. Spread the spinach filling over half of each round, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
• Brush the rims with water and fold the dough over to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal.
• Transfer the spinach pies to the prepared baking sheets and brush the tops with the beaten egg.
• Bake the pies for about 18 minutes, or until golden; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back HALFWAY through baking.
• Transfer the spinach pies to a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.
• MAKE AHEAD: The cooled spinach pies can be tightly wrapped in foil and refrigerated overnight. Reheat the pies in the foil in a 325° oven.
• NOTES: Sumac is a fruity, tangy spice made from dried, ground berries. It is available at Middle Eastern markets and online from penzeys.com.

LEBANESE SPINACH PIES

Steps:

• Mix the yeast, warm water and sugar in a cup and let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast mixture rises and doubles in size. This step is important to make sure the yeast is active.
• In an electrical mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients in. Start by adding in the yeast and mix, then gradually add in the warm milk and oil gradually. Continue kneading the dough on low speed for 1-2 minutes until the dough collect well together.
• Remove the bowl out from the mixer and collect with your hand to make a round dough. Return to the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap for 45-1 hour until the dough doubles in size.
• Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped spinach to shrink them. Next, set on a strainer and allow the liquids to drain and the spinach to cool.
• Once this step is done, dice the tomatoes.
• Let's get back to the spinach. At this point they are cool enough, and you will drain them one more time by squeezing them with your hands to remove all the excess water or use a towel cloth.
• All the main ingredients are ready to combine now. In a bowl, place the spinach, onions, tomatoes, salt, sumac, black pepper, cayenne pepper (optional). If you are using citric acid, place in now. Mix to combine well. Set aside. If you are using lemon juice mix in right before you are ready to fill the pies.
• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Let's get back to the dough. Remove it from the bowl, sprinkle some flour on it and knead a little bit with your hands on a marble slab or cutting board to deflate it. Cut up the dough and form into small even balls.
• You can also roll the dough into a big piece and cut out 3 inch circles with a cookie cutter or some sort of round lid like a mason jar lid. This will prevent you find rolling each dough at a time.
• Using a normal kitchen teaspoon place a heaping teaspoon of filling on the dough. Wrap the dough in the form the shape shown in the photo. You basically pick up two sides of the round dough and close them together then close the back part to form a triangle like shape. Make sure you pinch the edges very well to seal it and prevent it from opening. Repeat for the reminder of the dough mixture.
• Place the pieces on a large sheet pan or two lined with a parchment paper leaving 1 inch apart. Brush generously with lightly flavored olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then brush with more olive oil and continue baking for another 5-10 until they get a light golden brown color depending on your oven.
• Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cool for a minute or two before serving. Serve with some lemon wedges.

LEBANESE SPINACH PIES, FATAYAR

Steps:

• Proof the yeast by dissolving it in ¼ cup of the warm water with the sugar and letting it activate for about 10 minutes.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a mixer bowl or medium bowl. Create a well in the center and add the oil and proofed yeast mixture. Using a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment or by hand, slowly work the wet ingredients into the dry, adding 1/2 cup of water slowly. Add more of the water only as necessary to create a sticky dough.
• Knead by hand or with the dough hook in the mixer until the dough is very soft, smooth, and tacky/sticky to the touch (but it should not leave dough on your fingers when touched). The kneading by hand can be awkward at first because it's such a wet mess, but as you knead, the dough will firm up a bit and absorb all of the water.
• In a clean bowl at least twice the size of the dough, lightly coat the dough and the sides of the bowl with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 90 minutes. Take care not to overproof the dough.
• If using fresh spinach, sprinkle with the salt in a medium bowl. Set aside to macerate for 10 minutes, then squeeze the spinach of as much juice as possible. Discard juice. If using frozen spinach, squeeze as much juice as possible, and discard juice.
• Combine the spinach and onion. Just before filling the pastry, add cinnamon or allspice, pepper, and lemon juice. If using frozen spinach, add salt (fresh has already been salted to remove the juice). Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two heavy baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
• Roll half of the dough out on a dry work surface to 1/8-inch thickness (see how here). Gently lift the dough from the edges to allow for contraction. Cut dough into 4-inch rounds. Cover with plastic wrap. Knead together the scraps, cover with plastic, and set aside.
• Fill the rounds of dough by placing a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each round. Be careful not to let the filling touch the edges of the dough where it will be gathered together and closed. A good way to keep the filling in the center is to lower the spoon with the filling over the center of the dough (parallel to it) and use your fingers to slide the filling off the spoon and into the center of the dough circle. Place three nuts on top of the filling; this method works better than adding the nuts to the filling because it's easier to be sure each fatayar has enough nuts.
• Bring three sides of the dough together in the center over the filling and pinch into a triangle. Close the dough firmly.
• Place the fatayar on the baking sheets and generously brush or spray the dough with olive oil. Bake in the middle of the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set the oven on convection bake for the last 5 minutes of baking to encourage browning.
• Repeat the process with the other half of the dough, then with the scraps that have been kneaded together and left to rest for a few minutes before rolling out.

SPINACH PIES (MIDDLE EAST, PALESTINE)

Steps:

• Wash spinach, chop, and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.
• Mix with all the ingredients and set aside.
• Using the basic dough recipe that I have posted, take the 2 1/2" balls of dough and roll out to 4" circles (more like squares with rounded edges).
• Put a heaping tablespoon of spinach filling on each circle.
• Fold up from the bottom to the middle, and bring in sides to center to form triangle. (If you put one corner in front of you, then you would fold down the top corner, and bring in the sides, and you should have a triangle).
• Press down seams firmly and pinch ends together.
• Grease pan and place pies on the pan (seams down) and brush the tops with olive oil.
• Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until pies are golden brown. (I have a older gas stove, and had to turn my oven to about 325°F in order for the top and bottom to cook evenly, so adjust the temperature according to your oven).

PALESTINIAN SPINACH PIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with the whole wheat flour, yeast, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Mix at medium speed until a soft, supple dough forms, about 10 minutes. Using oiled hands, transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough stand in a draft-free spot until slightly risen, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the sumac and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach and let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 450° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 pieces. Form each piece of dough into a ball, dust with flour and let stand for 10 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough to a 5-inch round. Spread the spinach filling over half of each round, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the rims with water and fold the dough over to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal.
• Transfer the spinach pies to the prepared baking sheets and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for about 18 minutes, or until golden; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Transfer the spinach pies to a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.
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