SFEEHA OR LEBANESE MEAT PIES
BY THE FOOD HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Makes 35 pies | 110 calories/pie
INGREDIENTS |
Filling – meat mixture
• 500g lamb meat, grounded
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp labneh
• ⅓ cup pine nut seeds, roasted (optional)
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• ½ tsp allspice
• Pinch of sumac
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp shatta or spicy red pepper paste
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed
Dough
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• Olive oil
PREPARATION |
1. For the dough, mix the instant yeast with the sugar and a bit of warm water. Leave to rest.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and water. Knead well and add olive oil to make the dough stretch well. Add the yeast to the dough and knead again.
3. Cover the bowl with a moist cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for 2 hours or until the dough doubles its size.
4. For the meat, combine all of the filling ingredients, mix well and put in the refrigerator until the dough
is ready.
5. On a dusted surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 0.5cm. With a cup, cut circles in the dough. On each circle, put 2 tsp of the prepared filling, then pinch the two opposite sides to obtain the typical shape of the sfeeha.
6. While making the sfeeha, heat the oven to about 180°C, place the sfeeha on a greased oven pan and bake
for 10 minutes until the meat is cooked. Serve with a cup of laban (yogurt) or a glass of ayran (diluted and
salty yogurt).
SEE ALSO |
