Crispy Spinach Pies

Fatayer bel Ziet translates to oil dough pies or fatayer. This type of dough makes your fatayer really crispy and thin. Honestly, it’s addictive and very enjoyable to eat. The process might sound difficult but it’s like making any type of fatayer.

Dough Recipe:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup avocado oil or any neutral oil

Plus another 1/2 cup oil for the pan and brushing

Spinach Filling Recipe:

24 oz. to 32 oz. fresh raw baby spinach, washed, drained and dried

1 cup yellow onion, finely diced or processed

1 1/2 tbsp sumac

2 tsp Lebanese 7 spices

1/2 cup olive oil

3-4 small lemon juice

2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Spinach filling: Peel the onion and process it in a food processor on chop until it’s finely diced or you can do it by hand on a cutting board. It should be small chunks, not large pieces nor liquid form.

2. Add the onions to a bowl. Then add the spinach, sumac, 7 spices, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well with your hand and rub the spinach in the bowl so it can wither and get smaller. This will help you manage filling the dough.

3. Set the spinach aside or in the fridge until you are ready to fill.

4. In a stand mixer or in a bowl, add all the dough ingredients together and start mixing. Mix until the dough forms together and knead the dough for 7 minutes on the stand mixer with medium speed or knead by hand until the dough is elastic. (Meaning the dough stretches with out breaking)

5. If the dough is still liquid for soft than keep adding 1 tbsp of flour at a time until it forms into a ball.

6. You can immediately start using the dough, it doesn’t have to rest.

7. Stretch the dough using a rolling pin on a clean surface and a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles OR forms really small dough balls and stretch it into a round circle with a rolling pin.

8. Squeeze the spinach filling with your hand to remove excess liquid and place the filling in the dough. Start shaping like the video below.

9. Grab a baking sheet and fill a thin layer with avocado oil. Then place the spinach pies on it.

10. Place in an oven that heated to 450 F and bake on the bottom rack for 8 minutes then remove from oven, brush with oil on the top and back again on the top rack for 5 minutes or broil for a crispy brown color.

11. Remove from oven and place on the side to cool. Enjoy on it’s own or drizzled with pomegranate molasses.