Sfeeha (baked Lamb Pies)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dough in the following fashion:  pour 1/4 cup of the lukewarm
water into a small, shallow bowl and sprinkle it with the yeast and
sugar. Let the mixture rest for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve
the yeast completely.  Set the bowl in a warm, draft free place (such
as a turned off oven) for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture  almost
doubles in volume. In a deep mixing bowl, combine the flour  and the 2
teaspoons of salt, make a well in the center and into it  pour the
yeast mixture, the 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 2 cups of the  remaining
lukewarm water. Gently stir the center ingredients together  with a
large spoon, then slowly incorporate the flour and continue to  beat
until the ingredients are well combined. Add up to 1/2 cup more
lukewarm water, beating it in a tablespoon or so at a time, and using
as much as necessary to form a dough that can be gathered into a
compact ball. If the dough is difficult to stir, work in the water
with your fingers. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and
knead it by pressing it down, pushing it forward several times with
the heel of your hand and folding it back on itself. Repeat for about
20 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle it  from
time to time with a little flour to prevent it from sticking to  the
board. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly  oiled
bowl. Drape loosely with a kitchen towel and set aside in the  warm,
draft free place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough  doubles
in bulk. Punch the dough down with a single blow of your fist  and
divide it into 16 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball  about 1
1/2 inches in diameter, cover the balls with a towel and let  them rest
for 30 minutes.  FILLING: Meanwhile, prepare the filling.  Drop the
onions into a deep  bowl and sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of the
salt, turning them  about with a spoon to coat them evenly. Let the
onions rest at room  temperature for at least 30 minutes, then squeeze
them dry and return  them to the bowl. In a small skillet or saucepan,
heat 1 tablespoon  of olive oil until a light haze forms above it.  Add
the pine nuts  and, stirring constantly, brown them lightly. Add them
to the bowl of  onions, along with the lamb, tomatoes, green pepper,
parsley, lemon  juice, vinegar, tomato paste, cayenne pepper, allspice,
2 teaspoons  of salt and a liberal grinding of black pepper.  Knead the
mixture  vigorously with both hands, then beat with a wooden spoon
until the  mixture is smooth and fluffy. Taste for seasoning. Preheat
the oven  to 500 degrees (F). With a pastry brush, coat 3 large baking
sheets  or jelly roll pans with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. On
a  lightly floured surface, roll each of the balls into a round about 4
inches in diameter and no more than 1/8 inch thick. to make open face
pies, spoon about 1/2 cup of the lamb filling mixture on the center  of
each round.  Then with a spatula or the back of the spoon, spread  the
filling to about 1/2 inch of the edge. To make closed pies, spoon
about 1/2 cup of the filling on the center of each round. Pull up the
edge from 3 equally distant points to make a roughly triangular  shaped
pie and pinch the dough securely together at the top. With a  metal
spatula, arrange the pies on the baking sheets. Bake in the  lower
third of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is  lightly
browned. Serve hot, or at room temperature, accompanied, if  you like,
with yogurt.  39 of 116  Source: Time Life Series: Middle Eastern
Cooking "circa '69"  MMed by: earl.cravens@salata.com  From Gemini's
MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 561
Calories From Fat: 170
Total Fat: 19.3g
Cholesterol: 38mg
Sodium: 1658.8mg
Potassium: 422.2mg
Carbohydrates: 75.8g
Fiber: 3.3g
Sugar: 3.9g
Protein: 20.1g