spinach fataya

Spinach Fataya

Dough

Ingredients
4 cups bread flour
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet or 2 tblsps yeast
1 cup spry
water
(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.

Spinach Fataya

4 packages frozen spinach (I now use fresh spinach, cooked beforehand)
2 or 3 lemons squeezed
2 teasps salt
1 teasp. allspice
1/2 teasp. pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 generous tablespoon pinenuts (optional)
1 Spanish onion chopped
1 teasp. lemon extract powder

You can make the spinach a day ahead, wash and chop spinach leaves, put a tablespoon olive oil and two garlic cloves chopped in bottom of saucepan, heat over medium heat, as the cloves start to sizzle in the oil, throw in spinach leaves, stir around a bit and then continue to cook on low heat covered until tender.



Filling

Squeeze out the excess water in spinach, place in bowl. Add salt, allspice, pepper, oil, lemon juice and mix really well together. Chop the onion and mix in with the spinach. TASTE! You may need to add the lemon extract or some more lemon juice.

This spinach mixture is also good as a salad with some chick peas mixed in. But we don’t used chick peas in the fataya. I just mentioned this because life takes unexpected turns and you may not be able to go on further with the fataya! So if you feel too exhausted at this point, put the dough in the freezer to use later, add the chick peas to the spinach and lie on the sofa with a good book.



To Make the Fataya

Spray a large baking pan

Cut into rounds, a cookie cutter or top of a large peanut jar works well.

with Pam or brush with a little oil.
Take the risen dough and make
into rolls, work the rolls a little in                       
some flour if they are too tacky,
cover with saran wrap and leave
to stand on board sprinkled with flour.
Take one roll and with rolling pin, roll
out into a thin layer.
Cut into rounds.

 Take a teaspoon of the filling and place in the center of the rounds.
 Next, make the dough into an envelope, sealing all edges well.                                                          

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

                                                                             

make the dough into an envelope sealing all edges well

When closing fataya, be careful not to get juices on the edges.

Keep pressing the edges together to make sure they are firmly sealed.

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

Heat oven at 380 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.