Sfiha
Sfiha
Region: Arab Levant
Category: Pizza and Focaccia
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but takes non-working time

These open-faced Arab meat pies, a kind of small pizza or pizzette, also called laḥm bi’l-'ajīn, are made with the basic Arabic-style pita bread dough. Some Syrian cooks mix yogurt into the dough. The version I had at the al-Az restaurant in Damascus was a dough called raqiq (also ruqaq), a kind of buttery puff pastry, but this recipe is based on a Palestinian recipe, although the pomegranate molasses is definitely a Syro-Lebanese touch. The filling is made with spiced lamb, pine nuts, onions, spices, and sometimes tomatoes, all mashed in a mortar until a paste. It is garnished with yogurt or pomegranate seeds. The name ṣfīḥa comes from the root word meaning to flatten.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 24 pies
Preparation Time: 2 1/2 hours

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 pound lamb sirloin, ground or chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium-size ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, chopped, and drained of liquid for an hour

6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or coriander (cilantro) leaves

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 teaspoon freshly ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Plain yogurt or pomegranate seeds for garnish

1. Prepare the pizza dough. After the first rise, punch the dough down and divide into 24 balls. Flatten each ball slightly with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface until about 2 inches in diameter. Arrange the balls on a lightly floured kitchen counter, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest for 1 hour.

2. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the pine nuts until golden, about 1 minute.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the topping. In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, onion, tomato, parsley, pomegranate molasses, allspice, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Place the filling ingredients in a food processor and run until smooth and pasty.

4. Preheat the oven to 500ºF.

5. Grease two 13 x 11-inch baking sheets with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.

6. Roll the balls of dough into disks 4 inches in diameter. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the center of each disk and press down gently, spreading it over the surface of the disk, but leaving a border. Arrange on the baking sheets and bake until crispy on the edges and bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes.

7. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the pies and serve hot or at room temperature garnished with a dollop of yogurt or sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

Variation:  Add 2 tablespoons whole plain yogurt to the dough if desired.

Note: 

Posted: 10/28/2009

Needed Recipes:

Homemade Bread