Hello from Miami!  I am in the sunny state for a brief visit before moving on to Antigua to meet with a client.  The weather in Miami is so nice!

To stay on the ball, and to keep the readers happy, I prepared a few pre-scheduled posts while I’m away.  I will be posting live throughout the week but some of the recipes have been already created.

What a treat I have for you today – Lebanese Fatayer!  Growing up having ancestry from Lebanon gave me a lot of exposure to Lebanese food.  I am a huge fan of this cuisine. What I am about to share with you today is a classic dish which often has different fillings using spinach and/or meat.  It’s called Fatayer and I am going to show you the way my family always makes them.

Now don’t kid yourself, this Fatayer recipe is a labor of love and involves setting homemade bread dough.  Can you say YUM!?  I cannot take any credit for these other than the pictures, as my aunt made them for two very special birthdays last week.  She did a great job and made a whole bunch.  If you can believe it – she set 8 loaves of dough.  God love her.

Ingredients

Pastry

• 2 Cups hot water
• 2 Cups hot milk
• 4 Tbsp. shortening
• 4 Tbsp. white sugar
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 2 Packages instant yeast
• 10-12 Cups flour

Filling

• Ground lamb
• Ground beef
• Minced onion
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. In a large bowl, place water, milk, shortening and sugar (let melt).
3. In another large bowl place 6 cups of flour, salt, yeast and mix well.
4. Add flour mixture into liquid and mix.  Add remaining flour a little at a time until you get the right consistency. (It is best to have the dough a little sticky)
5. Knead well.
6. Let rest for 10 minutes then cut the dough as if you were going to make rolls. Knead each piece and let rise until each piece double in size.
7. Now roll each piece out as thin as you can in a circle and add a small dollop of mixture in the center and spread it.
8. Pick two sides of the dough together and pinch tight as if you were making a turnover. Shape in a triangle and place on a cookie sheet.
9. Bake until light brown (Do not over cook as the dough will become tough).
10. Brush with melted butter once out of the oven and let cool on rack.









11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When the bread dough has a sticky consistency, the Fatayer will hold their shape better and not break at the seam.  If the dough is too dry they will bust open and not look as pretty.

New Blog Feature

Before you leave, I’d like to mention that I’ve added a new “print” option to all posts due to multiple reader requests.  When you click on the “print this post” link under the title of each post, it will bring you to a printer friendly version of the recipe.  Enjoy!

Have a great Monday and stay tuned for another baked good in store for tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

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