Sfeeha — Meat Hand Pies

Small open-faced meat pies, a specialty of Baalbek — a yeasted flatbread boat filled with a tart
mixture of minced lamb, yogurt, pomegranate molasses, and pine nuts, baked until the crust crisps
and the meat caramelises. Breakfast, meze, or a stack at Sunday lunch.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (lamb, yogurt)

SERVINGS: 8 (makes about 30 sfeeha)
TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
For the dough:
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 250 ml warm water
- 7 g instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the filling:
- 500 g ground lamb
- 1 large onion, very finely diced
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and very finely diced (drained of excess liquid)
- 150 g Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 40 g pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 0.5 teaspoon cayenne
- Salt and black pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon

For finishing:
- Olive oil, for brushing
- Extra pine nuts for topping

METHOD:
1. Make dough: mix warm water, yeast, sugar. Let foam 10 minutes. Add flour, oil, salt. Knead 8 minutes. Cover and rise 60-90 minutes.
2. Make filling: combine lamb, onion, tomatoes, yogurt, pomegranate molasses, tahini, pine nuts, herbs, spices, salt, and lemon juice. Mix well with hands for 3 minutes. The mixture should be quite wet — this is correct.
3. Let filling stand 20 minutes.
4. Punch down dough. Divide into 30 pieces (about 25 g each). Roll each into a ball. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
5. Roll each ball into a 10 cm disc, about 3 mm thick.
6. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the centre of each disc. Pinch the dough into 3 corners to form a triangle or 4 corners to form a square. The filling should show in the centre. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
7. Top each with a few extra pine nuts. Brush the visible dough edges with olive oil.
8. Rest 15 minutes.
9. Bake at 220C (425F) for 12-15 minutes until the dough is golden and the meat is caramelised on top.
10. Serve warm with extra yogurt and lemon wedges.

NOTES:
- Sfeeha come in two distinct styles: open-faced (as here) and closed (like small pies). The open-faced Baalbek style is the most celebrated.
- The wet filling is intentional. It bakes down into the dough and keeps the meat moist.
- The sourness from yogurt, pomegranate, and sumac is the defining flavour. Do not reduce any of these.
- Freeze unbaked on a tray, then bag. Bake from frozen, adding 4-5 minutes to the baking time.

NUTRITION (per 3 sfeeha, approximate):
Calories: 380 | Protein: 20 g | Carbohydrates: 40 g | Fat: 16 g | Fibre: 2 g