Meat Pies in puff pastry
I wanted to try a new and interesting way to enjoy the well known Lebanese beef fatayer (or meat pies). In the northern part of Lebanon, in Tripoli, they make a flaky dough beef fatayer. It’s known for being light and fluffy and often enjoyed with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. In this recipe, I use the classic puff pastry to make something similar. These little fun fatayer are flaky, savory, and delicious. They will be an interesting appetizer and a fun treat at parties. Enjoy this with a side of yogurt, a squeeze of lemon, or a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
For this video, I made my own recipe using a classic puff pastry recipe from a book. For ease, you can purchase puff pastry sheets from the frozen section at any grocery store.
Recipe:
2 sheets of puff pastry
800 g ground beef
1 yellow onion
1 green pepper
1 1/4 tsp Lebanese 7 spices
1 1/2 tsp sumac
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 egg yolk for egg wash
Directions:
In a food processor, add the onion (remove the skin) and the green pepper (remove the seeds) to the blender. Pulse a couple times until the onion and green pepper are finely chopped.
Squeeze out the liquid from the blended onion and green pepper using a sieve. Place the onion and green pepper into a bowl.
In the same bowl, add the ground beef, spices, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, and pine nuts. Mix all the ingredients together well and set it aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
If you are making the puff pastry then roll out the puff pastry on a clean surface, and if you are using package puff pastry then thaw it to room temperature and open it on a clean surface.
Note: when using puff pastry, it must be cold at all times so it doesn’t stick to the working surface.
Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry into square. The shape and size of the squares is based on your preference. In the video, I cut it into 2 x 2 inches or into rectangles 2 x 3 inches.
Place the cut out puff pastry sheets onto a baking sheet with a parchment paper with space in between each sheet.
Brush the sides and top of the puff pastry with the egg yolk (egg wash), then is to improve the color or dough outcome. It is optional.
Par bake the puff pastry (meaning half bake to avoid a soggy dough) in the oven according to package instruction or at 425 F for 10 minutes.
Remove the puff pastry from the oven and then create small balls with the meat (like meat balls) and place it on the puff pastry, flatten it out gently. Refer to video for easier guidance.
Place the baking sheet back into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Then place on the top rack for another 3 minutes to get a golden color.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Sateen!
