Lebanese spinach pastries

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g flour
• 250 ml water, lukewarm
• 100 ml oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cube of fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dry yeast
• 500 g spinach, fresh or frozen
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 50 ml oil
• salt and pepper
• ½ tsp sumac (available in Turkish stores)
• lemon juice

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

Fatayer bi Lahim, with spinach and onion filling

Prepare the dough by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Knead the dough until it’s nice and smooth. Brush the surface with a little oil. Cover it with cling film and 1-2 thick towels. Set the dough aside for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by thoroughly washing and finely chopping fresh spinach. Finely chop frozen spinach. Finely chop the onions and add them to the spinach. Sprinkle salt over the spinach and knead the spinach and onions until they release juice. Discard the juice so it doesn’t run out in the oven. Season with lemon juice, oil, pepper, salt, and sumac, and knead some more. If you don’t have sumac, you can do without it (sumac has a slightly sour taste). Roll out the dough and cut out circles the size of a saucer. Place some of the dry spinach filling in the center of each circle and press down lightly. Grasp the edge of each circle at three equally spaced points between your thumb and index finger and press together to form a triangle, creating a small rim to prevent the filling from seeping out. Place the pastries on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. They can also be eaten cold. They’re also good for freezing. Note: Every time I make these spinach pastries, they’re gone in no time. You can also eat them the next day if there are any leftovers. Unfortunately, I don’t have any leftovers. Although I tried making double the amount once, it didn’t work. Tip: They’re also great for a party buffet.