Meat Fataya (Lamb)

Meat Fataya

Ingredients

Filling
2 lbs ground lamb meat
1 Spanish onion
2 generous teaspoons pinenuts
2 lemons squeezed
1 tablespoon salt
1  teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons allspice
5 tablespoons lebani (Greek yoghurt at its thickest)
3/4 block cream cheese

Dough
4 cups bread flour
2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup spry (Crisco vegetable shortening)
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast

Directions

Make the dough first
(I used to use regular flour but
since Dean gave me the Man’oushe
book from Lebanon, I prefer this recipe,
using bread flour and cake flour.
The dough is stronger and holds the
filling better. Fataya can split open
while baking.)

In a large bowl, mix together bread flour, cake flour, salt and sugar. Make sure the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Add the spry and work into the flour mixture by rubbing the flour and spry together with your hands, make sure all the flour is mixed in well with the spry.
Take a smaller bowl, add the yeast and mix with 1/2 cup warm water to soften the yeast, mix quickly with a spoon and pour over the flour mixture. Next add another two cups warm water. (Situ Stevens used to use 1 cup milk and 1 cup water)
With your hands, mix it all in together, it will form into a ball of dough, it shouldn’t be too wet .... you can add a bit more flour if it is, or water if too dry. It can be tacky and sticky in texture. Knead the dough a few times but not excessively. Then cover the bowl with saran wrap and a blanket. Leave aside to allow the dough to rise.
I often make this in the morning and then return to make the fataya in the afternoon.
You can also keep in the fridge, but make sure the dough is at room temperature before trying to roll it out.

To make Meat Fataya


Directions for the Filling

Place 2 lbs ground beef in a bowl, add 3/4 block cream cheese and work thoroughly into the meat with your hands, next add 5 tablespoons Greek yoghurt and mix altogether well. Add the juice of 2 lemons and again mix thoroughly.
Add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons allpice.
Chop 1 onion finely and mix into the meat mixture.
Finally, add 2 generous tablespoons pinenuts.

 

This is not meat but spinach, but the method is the same

Spray large flat baking pans with Pam, or paint on some oil.
Take risen dough and make into small rolls, work the rolls  a little in some flour if they are too tacky, cover with saran wrap and leave to stand on sprinkled flour.
Take one roll of dough, and with a rolling pin, roll into a thin layer.
Cut into rounds (top of a large peanut butter jar works well)

this filling is spinach but the method is the same for both meat and fataya

                                                       
Take a teaspoon of the filling, place in center of rounds and then

 

 

make the dough into an envelope,
sealing all edges well.







When closing fataya pies, be careful not to get juices on the edges. this will make it difficult to close. If this happens, dip fingers in flour and close.

Heat oven at 400 degrees F, have rack in middle of oven.
Place each fataya on baking pan

Bake in oven until just beginning to change color, the fataya should be brown on the base.
These bake quite fast, approximately 15 to 20 minutes, but you have to keep your eye on them. Usually by the time you’ve made another batch, the fataya are ready.

If you wish, you can brush some melted butter half way through the baking process, I used to do this but have stopped doing this.

Fataya freeze really well cooked. On the day you want to eat them, take fataya out in morning, uncover and let stand most of the day. Reheat for 15 minutes in oven at 350 degrees F. just before serving.

Just recently, I tried something different. I worried that the meat tasted dried out, especially after freezing. My son in law suggested frying the thawed meat fataya very quickly. We did this, draining the fataya on a paper towel, these can either be eaten immediately or reheated for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. uncovered just before serving. The filling in fact is moist, delicious and full of flavor. I am going to try making these again, and frying after they are baked. I'll try some just frying without baking as well and see how that goes.