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Fatayer bi sabanekh
Fatayer bi sabanekh: Lebanese spinach triangles with onion, sumac and lemon
Every Lebanese bakery, or furn, sells fatayer bi sabanekh warm from the oven in the morning: soft three-cornered pies filled with spinach that has been salted and squeezed, then mixed with onion, sumac, lemon and olive oil until it is tart enough to make you pucker. They go into school lunch boxes, onto picnic blankets and onto every buffet at Lebanese parties, and they freeze well. The usual problem is a filling that leaks and makes the pies burst open; wring out the spinach hard and seal the seams firmly so they stay closed in the oven. Chef's tip: let the sumac, lemon and onion sit together for ten minutes before adding the spinach so the onion softens and loses its raw bite.
- Total time
- 63 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add ¼ cup olive oil and 1 cup warm water and bring together, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and soft and it springs back when pressed.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile chop 1 ⅛ lb fresh spinach roughly, toss it with 1 tsp salt and leave for 15 minutes until it has wilted and given off liquid.
15 minStep 4: In a bowl, rub 1 onion with 2 tbsp sumac, 3 tbsp lemon juice and ½ tsp ground black pepper and leave for 10 minutes to soften.
10 minStep 5: Squeeze the spinach in handfuls as hard as you can, until no more water drips out. It should look like a tight, dark green ball. Loosen it and mix with the onion, ¼ cup olive oil and 2 tbsp pine nuts. Skipping this squeeze is the most common mistake: wet filling soaks the dough and the pies burst open.
Step 6: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) and line two baking trays. Punch down the dough, divide into 16 balls and keep them covered so they don't dry out.
Step 7: Roll one ball on a lightly floured surface into a 10 cm round. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the middle, leaving any liquid behind in the bowl.
Step 8: Lift up the edge from three points and pinch the seams together firmly towards the centre to make a triangle, pressing hard so they don't open in the oven. Set on the tray. Repeat with the rest.
Step 9: Brush the tops with a little oil and bake for 15–18 minutes, until golden on top and the bases sound hollow when tapped.
18 minStep 10: Cool for 5 minutes on a rack. Eat warm or at room temperature. Freeze cooled pies for up to 2 months and reheat at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 165 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fatayer bi sabanekh take?
- About 63 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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