My oldest sister, Catherine, and her husband Jim are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this summer. They have invited the whole family to Taos, New Mexico for several days of celebrating. One evening, we are all invited to their place for a come and go supper, nothing fancy, just small eddibles. I can’t do a lot of hiking, canoing, walking, or other Taos-type adventures, but I can bake and cook treats for this supper ahead of time, freeze, fill up a cooler, and drive to New Mexico.
So far I’ve made an assortment of cookies, mamoul (date and walnut pastries), a fresh peach pound cake, and fatayir. I’ve shared with you the recipes for the above mentioned but not for fatayir. This recipe is one I learned at the feet of Miriam Constantine, our nanny growing up. So, here goes…
For the fatayir dough, using the first 4 ingredients, make a yeast dough. Knead well and set aside to rise once till filling is done:
5 cups flour, 2 pkgs yeast dissolved with 2 tsp sugar and 1 cup water, 3/4 cup olive oil, tsp salt
For the spinach filling, rub together 2 bags of thawed frozen chopped spinach lightly sprinkled with salt till wilted and place in a colander to drain. Place the drained spinach in a thin dish towel and squeeze all the liquid out. In a bowl, mix with your fingers all filling ingredients:
1 onion finely minced, 1 T sumac, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 T olive oil, 1/2 cup roasted pine nuts or slivered almonds, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 T pomegranate syrup. Mix with the drained spinach. You may use other greens like swiss chard, dandelion greens, chicory, or wild purslane mixed with fresh oregano leaves. Thinly roll out the yeast dough and cut out circles with a round cookie cutter. Place 1 T of filling in the center of each circle. Lift the sides 2/3 of the way up and pinch closed, then change directions and close the other side making a triangle. Place the triangle pies on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 10 minutes till tops are golden. Cool completely before freezing.
What is your favorite Lebanese food tidbit?
Vibrant flavors are at the heart of Lebanese cuisine. The balance of spices, the zing of fresh herbs, and the use of seasonal ingredients make Lebanese dishes a true celebration of taste and nature. To cook Lebanese food is to respect nature – freshness is the secret, and every ingredient has its moment to shine. However, the most important ingredient is hospitality. To serve others with a generous heart is the core of Lebanese cuisine. Hospitality is not an action, it is a way of life. Family is venerated. The Lebanese table isn’t just about food. It is about love, laughter, and the warmth that only a family gathering can bring.