Fatayer is a Middle Eastern meat pie pastry that can alternatively be stuffed with spinach, cheese or meat. This one is easy to prepare and after all your hard work you will find it really tasty.

Ingredients

     To make the dough

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 5 cups flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Meat Filling

• 2 lb ground beef or ground lamb (or both)
• 2 large tomatoes (finely diced)
• 1/2 cup parsley (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 20 gram leaves, finely chopped
• 30 grams olive oil

Directions

• In electric blender add all-purpose flour.
• Add dry yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil and enough water to make soft dough. Keep the dough aside for 2-3 hours.

For The filling

• In a bowl add beef minced, and then add all spices, onion, mint leaves, tomato, and garlic, salt. Add olive oil and mix these well.
• After sometime, knock back the dough using your fist and remove the air.
• Roll out dough 3mm thickness with a 3 inch diameter cutter, cut out the dough.
• Brush the edges with water. Put 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each round of dough and pull the corners to form the fatayer.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 200C / 39F for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Serve hot or cold.

(The writer owns a food blog.)