Lebanese Beef Fatayer | A Middle Eastern meat pie

An easy version of a traditional Middle Eastern meat pie made with grass-fed beef, onions and a blend of common spices. Fatayer is an easy gateway recipe to Middle Eastern food.

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“First we eat, then we do everything else.” – M.F.K. Fisher

Why I Love Fatayer

Meat pies go way back in history, predating the Roman Empire. This popular food spans six continents and hundreds of cultures. Other than Louisiana’s Natchitoches meat pie however, the U.S. doesn’t really have a meat pie culture. The pot pie is the closest meat pie variation and I’m not sure that counts, does it?

Today we are diving in to Middle Eastern food with the fatayer, a Lebanese meat pie. The fatayer, like most regional food has familial and regional differences but they all look and taste similar. The one I made has common ingredients you can find in the average American grocery store.

What is in a Beef Fatayer?

The fatayer consists of a filling wrapped in dough and baked in the oven. The most common are meat fillings with lamb or beef known as Sfeeha or a spinach filling called Sabanekh. You can make cheese fatayer also. They make for a nice entree or appetizer. Serve during mezze, a Middle Eastern tapas style situation.

The spices in this pie actually come from a spice blend called Baharat but I have broken down the blend for you so that you don’t have to make a big batch of this blend in order to make this recipe. That is why there seems to be a long list of ingredients but you probably already have all of these spices in your pantry.

Fatayer keeps well in the fridge or you can plop them in a freezer bag and freeze them up to a month. Just thaw them when ready to use and either re-heat in a low heat oven or microwave them on high for thirty seconds or so.

How to Make Beef Fatayer step-by-step

I usually feel a little trepidation when trying to cook a new cuisine. It’s really difficult to know if I am ‘doing it right’ if I have never tasted or tried a cuisine before. I find Middle Eastern food less intimidating than most. It seems pretty straight forward without many special techniques you need to know before succeeding at a dish or many specialized ingredients. So far any spices I might need I have been able to order online such as sumac. What is your favorite way for obtaining specialized ingredients?

This fatayer recipe is very approachable. When I first heard you could use pre-made pizza or biscuit dough with fatayer I knew this is the recipe to try. I don’t always make short cuts like this and I do know how to make dough but when trying a new cuisine, somehow short cuts make the recipe seem less intimidating.

If you do make a dough from scratch, try it in the food processor. It’s super easy. Just mix your wet ingredients in a small bowl after proofing the yeast and put the dry ingredients in the processor. Pulse a few times to mix then add the wet ingredients in a steady stream while processing. If it’s too sticky add flour until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the side. Easy.

More meat pies from around the world.

• Turkish Sigara Borek – seasoned meat rolled in phyllo dough
• Puerto Ricos Beef Empanadilla – seasoned meat pie with green olives and Sazon
• British Cornish Pasty – traditional meat pie with pork, bacon, onions, potatoes

More Middle Eastern Recipes.

• Spinach Fatayer – A vegetarian version with spinach, cilantro, parsley and onions.
• Middle Eastern Kofta – Little, spicy meatloaves.
• Chicken Shawarma – A garlicky chicken wrap.
• Toum Sauce – A lebanese garlicky sauce for shawarmas, sandwiches and wraps.
• Muhammara Dip – A robust red pepper dip you can make in 5 minutes.
• Cilbur – A Turkish egg recipe.
• Aleppo Lamb and Potatoes – A great way to fry up some tasty lamb chops.
• Mana’eesh – A Middle Eastern flatbread.
• Moroccan Harira Soup – This wonderful soup will nourish your body and your spirit, a traditional Moroccan soup.
• Cheese Fatayer – A cheesy twist on a Lebanese classic turnover.

I enjoy finding new cuisines through Wikipedia and learn about them on YouTube. Do you ever do this? Just look up ‘List of soups’ and click on the Wikipedia article. You could go down quite a rabbit hole doing this. This is how I was introduced to Middle Eastern cuisine. What are your favorite cooking YouTube channels? Leave a comment below.

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Lebanese Beef Fatayer | A Middle Eastern meat pie

Yield: 14 meat pies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

An easy version of a traditional Middle Eastern meat pie made with grass-fed beef, onions and a blend of common spices. Fatayer is an easy gateway recipe to Middle Eastern food.

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Ingredients

 

• 1 Tbs cooking oil
• 1 lb of ground beef or lamb 
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 cup of catsup
• 1/4 tsp cayenne for heat (optional)
• 2 rolls of pre-made pizza dough from the refrigerated section
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs water

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and cook onions for one minute.
3. Add meat and salt and break up into small pieces.  Continue to cook over medium heat uncovered until cooked through.
4. Add garlic and spices, stir and cook for one more minute.  Add catsup and stir well.  Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Remove pizza dough from packaging and roll out thinly on a floured surface.  Use a small 6 inch bowl to make a template into the dough.  Cut circles out with a sharp knife.  Dust well with flour and stack in a pile for easier assembly.
6. In a small bowl add egg and water and whisk with a fork until combined, set aside.
7. In each circle add 2-3 Tbs of filling.  Brush the edge of the dough with the egg wash and start the fold.  Fold two sides about 1/3 of the way, pinching the sides closed as you go.  Then take the middle of the remaining side and bring toward the pinched edge making two new seams.  Pinch the two new seams closed.
8. Place all on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray.
9. Brush all over with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (white or black).
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Turn the baking sheet around half way through cooking.
11. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Two of these make a great entree or serve them as single appetizers.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 7 Serving Size: 2 meat pies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 583mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 24g