Recipe for Lebanese "meat pie"?!
They are a flat-bread with a thin layer of meat (ground beef mixture) spread over it. Cheese is the flat bread with cheese on it instead of meat.
Does anyone have this recipe? If at all possible, could you include the flat-bread recipe as well as the meat mixture recipe? Does anyone know what kind of cheese they might be using?
Thanks in advance!
--This is an example of what one looks like:
http://static.flickr.com/43/120723229_67...
http://static.flickr.com/42/120723230_43...
Note: The one I've seen does not have green peppers in with it.
Answers: One of my local favorite Lebanese bakeries sells meat and cheese pies and I am looking for the recipe.
They are a flat-bread with a thin layer of meat (ground beef mixture) spread over it. Cheese is the flat bread with cheese on it instead of meat.
Does anyone have this recipe? If at all possible, could you include the flat-bread recipe as well as the meat mixture recipe? Does anyone know what kind of cheese they might be using?
Thanks in advance!
--This is an example of what one looks like:
http://static.flickr.com/43/120723229_67...
http://static.flickr.com/42/120723230_43...
Note: The one I've seen does not have green peppers in with it.
I come from Brazil, where Lebanese food is very popular due to the large number of immigrants. Here is a simplified recipe for Sfihas:
Dough:
1 packet rapid rise dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
Dissolve the yeast in the water along with the sugar and salt. Add the oil and mix. Gradually add the flour, mixing after each addition. Turn the dough onto a slightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until homogenenous and elastic. Place dough in a bowl and let rise. While that happens, prepare the filling:
Filling:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (optional, but adds a delicious flavor)
juice of 1/2 lime
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Mix well and reserve.
After the dough has doubled, form it into 16 balls and roll them into rounds about 1/4 inch thick (like little pizzas). Top with the seasoned ground beef, equally divided among the pies..
Place the Sfihas onto a greased and floured cookie sheet.
Preheat the oven to 350 Farenheit and bake the pies for approximately 20 minutes (or until golden on the edges. Serve with lime wedges (to be squeezed onto the pies at the table) and hot sauce, if desired.
The cheese version uses exactly the same dough, and the filling I use is 1 lb. grated mozzarella seasoned with 1 bunch chopped green onions. Proceed exactly as above and pour a little olive oil over each pie before baking.
These are absolutely delicious.
Enjoy!!
http://www.spiceplace.com/lebanese-meat-...
I love greek and lebanese food, and I've never seen that on any menu. I think it must be a local thing, or something they invented to resemble a pizza or calzone. Looks awesome, though... would like to try ti w/ the green peppers!
Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 onion, large
4 stalks celery
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
2 cups breadcrumbs (seasoned or plain)
1/4-1/2 cup hot water
1 double crust pie crust, unbaked (for meat pie)
Directions
1. Chop onions and celery and saute until soft.
2. Lightly cook pork and drain off grease.
3. Add ground beef to pork and cook 5 minutes.
4. Transfer meat to deep pan, pot, or Dutch oven.
5. Add onions and celery.
6. Cook over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
7. Drain any grease that has surfaced, and remove from heat.
8. Add seasoning, salt, and pepper.
9. Add hot water and bread crumbs, and mix well.
10. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
11. While that's standing, preheat the oven to 350°F.
12. Spoon meat mixture into pie crust and bake (in bottom shell) for 20-25 minutes. (Variation: add any amount of mashed potatoes after first 15 minutes.).
13. Add top crust and seal. Bake until done.
Awarma is an important aspect of mountain life. This meat preserve was done in yesteryears when the sheep was slain in the center of the village. It was the villager's winter meat reserve. Today, the recipe is simple. It is quite tasty, but I warn you, it is on the heavier side. (From the author of Man’oushé)
For the awarma:
1 kg (32oz - 4 cups) of fat from lamb meat roughly chopped)
1/2 kg (16oz - 2 cups) of lean meat from lamb meat finely grinded or chopped into bite-size pieces.
2 1/2 teaspoons of crystallized sea salt
Yields a jar of approximately 2 kg (4 lb)
For the pie:
400 g (16oz – 2 cups) of prepared meat preserve (approximately 3 tablespoons for each pie)
Yield 4 pies.
Start with the dough. Divide into 4 equal pieces.
1. To make the meat preserve, pour 1/2 cup of water in a heavy-bottomed casserole. This will keep the fat from sticking to the surface of the casserole. Add the fat from the lamb meat. Cook it on medium heat, until it melts.
2. When the fat is completely melted, add the lean meat to the fat, breaking up the pieces well. The meat has to cook thoroughly and evenly. Stir constantly.
3. Cool down the mixture and store in a sterilized jar. This mixture can last for up to one year, if refrigerated.
4. It is advisable if you are using a hot griddle or a convex disk to put the awarma in the middle, wait until it melts for about 30 seconds, then to spread it evenly. This method will avoid any running fat on the cooking surface. The time of cooking depends on source of heat; 3 to 5 minutes should be enough.
5. If the cooking method to be used is the conventional cooking oven preheat the oven to 200 oC (400 oF- Gas mark 6). Spread the topping on the dough and bake for 7 to 10 minutes.
6. Serve the pies hot.
When cooking the awarma, you may add a whole piece of onion to the pot. This helps reduce scum and adds a light flavor to the cooked meat. You may add sweet black pepper and cinnamon to the meat preserve while it is cooking.
Sfiha (Lahm Bi`ajeen)
Description: (Meat Pies)
These meat pies originate in: Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
Servings:30 pies
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Ingredients:
1/2 quantity of Khoubiz dough recipe*
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 # pound of fresh, coarsely ground lamb
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
extra vegetable oil
--------------------------------------...
Instructions:
Prepare the Khoubiz dough. Set aside to rise 1 1/2 hours (this should become double in size)
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground lamb and stir and cook until the meat is crumbly and it is no longer pink. Stir in the chopped onion and cook, stirring until the onion is soft , about 5 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts and all of the spices and seasonings. Stir and cook for one minute. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cover the skillet , reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes until the tomato is soft. Remove from heat. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. The mixture should not be watery but it should be moist. Set aside to cool.
Punch down the dough and roll on a lightly floured pastry board till it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut 10 4 inch rounds. Continue to roll the trimmings into a ball, roll them out and cut into rounds also. Place the rounds on a cloth and cover with another cloth.
Take a round of dough and flute the edges with fingertips. Spread a heaping tablespoon of the meat/nut mixture and into the small pie shell you have formed. Place one inch apart on an oil baking sheet. Lightly brush the pies, including the meat and the crust with more oil.
Bake in a pre heated oven at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Best way to eat: Serve hot out of the oven or warm with fresh lemon or plain yogurt.