Fatayr - Spinach Pie Triangles
Fatayr bi'l-Sabanikh
Region: Arab Levant, Lebanon
Category: Antipasto, Meze, Tapas, and Hors d'Oeuvres
Season: Any
Difficulty: Medium Difficulty

This very popular Lebanese version of spinach pie is known as faṭayr bi'l-sabānikh or just faṭayr for short. They appear on nearly every meze table. These pies are also called sabānikh bi'l-cajīn, the vegetable version of laḥm bi'l-cajīn or colloquially, laḥm bī ajīn and in Palestine as āqrās bi'l-sabīnikh, an expression more generic in meaning. Although they are eaten by all segments of the population, they are particularly common on Christian tables during the Lenten period. They have something similar in Egypt, called a faṭīr, which is nevertheless quite different. When making the spinach stuffing, it's important that the spinach be completely dry, so it's best to wash it in the morning and let it dry on some kitchen towels during the day or use a salad spinner, then blot with paper towels. The dried berries of the sumac bush (Rhus coriaria), with their tart taste, are used in Lebanese cooking with enthusiasm. The maroon-colored ground berries are sold in Middle Eastern markets.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 24 pies
Preparation Time: 3 hours

For the dough

1 Basic Pizza Dough recipe, adding 1/2 teaspoon sugar to that dough

For the stuffing

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 scallions, chopped

1 1/2 pounds spinach, heavy stems removed, washed well, and dried thoroughly

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 1/2 tablespoons sumac

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Prepare the pizza dough with the addition of the sugar.

2. In a large nonreactive sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then cook, stirring, the onion and scallions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach in handfuls and cook until wilted, adding more spinach as it wilts, about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add the pine nuts, sumac, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 5 more minutes. Leave in pan until cool and then chop coarsely.

3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out as many 4-inch rounds as you can, re-rolling the scraps of dough when necessary. Place the rounds on several kitchen towels, cover with more towels, and leave to rest as you continue cutting out disks.

4. Place 1 tablespoon of spinach filling in the center of a round and bring up the sides at three points to form a triangle. Press the edges together firmly to seal. Make sure none of the spinach juices get onto the edges.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

6. Arrange the pies on a greased baking sheet and bake until light golden, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or warm. These pies also freeze very well.

Posted: 07/28/2011