Sfeeha (Arabic Meat Pastries)

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One of the best snacks ever!

Sfeeha is Arabic meat pastries.

Usually atop a very fluffy dough disk, we place a heap of the meat mixture, then bake them to perfection. The outcome is a delicious experience that will make you pop them like Tic Tacs! These pastries are also a very good option for lunch boxes.

If you are cooking a recipe from this website that includes Arabic Meat Stuffing in its ingredients, and you find that you have leftover meat stuffing, then Sfeeha is a very good option for using up the leftovers. Just mix the meat stuffing with the tahina mixture and the pomegranate molasses and your meat topping is ready to go.

Since Arabic cooking is very reliant on garlic as an aromatic, and since garlic is one of the world’s most used aromatics, I have included a video for you on how you can grow your own, using the organic garlic cloves that you have at home!! How cool is that! Your very own, endless, home-grown, fresh organic garlic!!

Ingredients

For making the Dough
  • 4 cups organic all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp dry instant yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup warm full fat milk
  • 1/2 cup DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups warm water extra
  • 1 tsp DS Pink Himalayan Salt

For the Meat Topping

  • 1 recipe Classic Meat Filling (recipe on this link)
  • 1/2 cup Tahina
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • 3 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
  • 3 ripe red tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp DS Organic Red Shatta (red chili sauce, optional for spicy)

 

Start by making the dough,

Place the yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm milk, stir to incorporate and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, place the flour, salt and in a large bowl, and mix all together well. Add the olive oil and rub between your two palms well, until the mixture looks like tiny crumbs. Add the milk and yeast mixture and incorporate into the dough.

Gradually add enough water to reach a slightly sticky and elastic dough. Do not overwork your dough, knead only until it comes together to a slightly sticky elastic dough, then gently roll into a ball and place in a slightly greased bowl.

Cover the dough and let it rest in dry place for 2 hours.

Half an hour before resting time is up, make the Meat filling. Once the meat is finished cooking, place in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together, tahina, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick, thin it slightly with water. We are after a slightly runny consistency (ribbon), not a soup consistency. Mix the tahina mixture, the chopped tomatoes and the meat filling together to incorporate. Drizzle the pomegranate molasses and mix well.

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Remove the dough from the bowl, place on slightly floured surface, knead twice to prepare, then cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Cut each part into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten against your palm to form a disk shape. Place the disks on the lined baking sheets. and brush with egg wash. Top each disk with 1 tsp of meat filling, pressing the filling down gently against the dough.

Bake each tray 10-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly golden and the tops slightly browned. Be careful as , if the bottoms are dark brown, that means you have overcooked the pastries. When done remove from heat.

Carefully transfer to a wire rack and cool for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature. alongside Tahina dipping sauce (recipe on this link) or minted yogurt sauce.

Once done, Sfeeha can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated whenever needed.

 

Find a plethora of mezze recipes on this link.

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