Fatayer: spinach, cheese and meat
Fatayer baked on a tray often come out golden on top and pale underneath, because the filling keeps the base wet and the tray cannot push enough heat through it. On a preheated steel plate the base sets and browns in the same eight minutes the top takes, so the spinach triangles hold their shape and the cheese boats stay crisp along the edge.
The dough
The same soft, oil-enriched dough as manakeesh works perfectly. This makes about eighteen fatayer.
- 500g plain flour
- 280g warm water
- 60g olive oil
- 10g sugar
- 8g salt
- 5g instant yeast
The fillings
Spinach: chop 500g spinach, rub it with a teaspoon of salt and squeeze out as much water as you can. A wet filling is what bursts the seams. Mix with a finely chopped onion, two tablespoons of sumac, the juice of a lemon and three tablespoons of olive oil.
Cheese: 300g akkawi, soaked for an hour to draw out some salt, then crumbled with a handful of mozzarella and a little nigella seed.
Meat: 300g minced lamb or beef cooked with a chopped onion, seven spice and salt, then cooled. Add a spoon of pomegranate molasses at the end.
Shaping
Let the dough double, about an hour, then divide into eighteen balls and rest them twenty minutes. Roll each to about 3mm.
For triangles, put a spoon of spinach in the middle, lift three sides up to meet in the centre and pinch the seams firmly closed. For boats, spread cheese or meat down the middle of an oval and fold the long edges in, twisting the ends to a point.
Baking
Plate in the middle of the oven at 250°C for 45 minutes. Slide the fatayer on, five or six at a time, and bake eight to ten minutes until the base is browned and the tops are golden. Brush them with olive oil as they come out so the crust stays soft.
Squeeze the spinach dry, pinch the seams hard, and bake on a fully hot plate so the base browns with the top.