Introducing Fatayer - A Lebanese Hand Pie with Gluten-free Grain Based Dough
by Sidonie Maroon, abluedotkitchen.com
“It could be argued that there is an element of entertainment in every pie, as every pie is inherently a surprise by virtue of its crust.”
― Janet Clarkson, Pie: A Global History
Fatayer is a Lebanese hand pie that’s stuffed with meat or greens and cheese. It’s also popular in other Middle Eastern countries. Interestingly, Argentina has a version known as empanada árabe. I came across it while pursuing my cookbook shelves and pulling down “Moro” , a cookbook from the famous English restaurant of the same name run by Sam and Sam Clark.
Their recipe uses a yeasted wheat dough filled with pumpkin, garlic, feta and pine nuts. It sounds yummy, and closer to Fall I must try it. To be honest, it wasn’t their recipe but the color photograph of the hand sized triangular pie that caught my fancy. I immediately needed to make that shape in dough and had to figure out how. Luckily, on the next page there was a sequence of images taking me from a round flat tortilla shape — pinching two (sides) of the circle together, and finally bringing the third up to meet them.
People collect all kinds of crazy things. It takes a world of diversity, and if you pieced our peculiar interests together, we’d have an overview of human creativity. World pie shapes and their decorations are a quirky interest of mine for no other reason than they bring me pleasure. I like making them, studying their histories and stories, looking at them... I love pie art. To think there are so many ways to hang pies together around the globe!
I tend towards savory hand pies and Fatayer is a fabulous example. Savory hand pies are meals in themselves and good, warm or cold. Best of all, seasonal produce is what will make them shine. Yes, you need a good crust, and shape is key — everybody knows that pasta tastes different depending on the shape and pies aren’t different, but the filling is the signature, and that signature should reflect the season.
Summer Veggie Pie Ideas
Sautéed zucchini and other summer squash with basil, tomato and mozzarella
Roasted beets and arugula with chevré
Pureed carrots with thyme and tofu
Roasted cauliflower, tomatillos and dill with tahini and lemon
Leeks and endive with mustard and fromage blanc
Cilantro, cabbage, garlic, onions, potato and yogurt with Indian spices
Parsnip, parsley, brown sugar, onions and sharp cheddar
Cherry Tomatoes, fingerlings, cipollini onions and spinach with pesto
Shape Matters
ABC’s of the Hand Pie: Recipes, Histories and Definitions to Explore
Empanada from Spain and South America
“Surely we should try to save something that, when done well, is not only a supreme example of the art of cooking, but a dish that encapsulates humankind’s entire culinary history?”
― Janet Clarkson, Pie: A Global History
Fatayer- Wild Greens Pies
Stuffed Savory Triangular Hand Pies
Gluten, Starch and Grain free
Makes 8 Hand Pies
Inspired from Lebanon and Syria, I make these savory triangular pies from harvested garden weeds. Recently I used chickweed and amaranth cleared from a bed for Fall planting, but you can also use greens like kale, chard or spinach. The spice mix will come in handy for all kinds of dishes, from eggs to grains and legumes.
Ingredients
1 batch of walnut pastry (recipe follows)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups packed chopped greens, such as: spinach, chard, nettles, chickweed, mustard greens or a combination.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sheep feta, crumbled
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, chopped
¼ cup raisins, made into a paste
⅔ cup green olives, chopped
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon spice mix (recipe follows)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Spice Mix (grind together in a spice mill or coffee grinder and store in a jar or tin)
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes
3 dried bay leaves, crushed
Directions
Prepare the Walnut Pastry
Make the walnut pastry according to the directions. Divide the dough into 8 evenly sized balls. Roll the balls into 6 inch rounds, or press them in a tortilla press lined with parchment paper. Set the rounds aside on parchment paper.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 F.
Prepare the Filling
Assemble all the ingredients and prep them as instructed.
Grind the spice mix in a spice or coffee grinder and set aside.
Grind the raisins together into a rough paste using a small food processor. If this isn’t possible, then mince them.
In a heavy-bottomed skillet, saute the garlic in the olive oil over a medium heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the greens, covering them with a lid until cooked down, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, strain off any excess liquid and allow them to cool while you put together the rest of the filling.
Add the cheese, eggs, herbs, raisins, 1 teaspoon of spice mix, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes and olives to the sauteed greens and fold everything together.
Assemble and Bake
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 F.
Put 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of each dough round.
Pinch two sides of the circle together and bring the third side up to meet them, forming a 3-D triangular packet out of the circle. Make sure you seal the sides. I pinch and then fold over where I’ve pinched a bit. Don’t worry if there’s a small tear in the dough here and there. The pastry will expand as it cooks and fill in the gaps.
Bake on a middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pies smell delicious and done.
Let them cool before eating. The pasty must settle, and the flavors need time to meld.
Walnut Pastry Dough
Makes enough for two 9-inch tarts or 8 small hand pies.
15 minutes plus rolling and baking time
Amazing, a delicious pastry dough, without grain or added fats! It’s rich with all the nuts, but pastry is rich, so it’s still on the occasional treat list. Another attribute of this dough is how it rolls out and hangs together easily when baked. How does it taste? Like a good loaf of whole wheat bread right from the oven. It’s less like a flaky pie crust, and more like a brioche or yeasted crust. Use it for both sweet and savory recipes, whole pies or individual hand pies. I’m still experimenting with all its possibilities. As a gluten-free pie maker, I’m thrilled with how moldable it is, so I can create all the shapes and decorations that are sometimes difficult with gluten-free grain based doughs.
Ingredients
1 cup walnuts
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup flax meal
2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ cup boiling water
Directions for making the pastry
Using a Vitamix or high-powered blender, process all the dry ingredients together, on the highest speed, into a coarse flour. I run the machine until I hear the motor slowing down. Try to not have any large chunks of walnuts left, because they can tear the dough when you are rolling it out.
Dump the flour into a mixing bowl, using a spatula to get everything out. Break it up between your fingers until it resembles a fine meal. Add the boiling water and then the vinegar to a glass liquid measure and pour over it the flour, quickly mixing them together with the rubber spatula. Continue to mix until it comes together. Split the dough in half and now you’re ready to roll.
Rolling
You can make any shapes, and the dough rolls out thin without tearing or splitting. Tears press together easily. There’s no need to flour while rolling, but some oil on your hands will prevent sticking. For free form tarts, I like to roll the shape I want on parchment paper, add the fillings, fold the edges in, and then cut the parchment paper around the shape, with an inch border, using the paper under the tart to move it onto a baking sheet.
Baking
Baking will depend on individual recipes, but a rough guide is to bake in a preheated 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. The thicker the dough, the longer the pastry should bake. Allow the pastry cooling time to help set the dough. I like to reheat the pastries before serving, the toasted walnut flavors shine that way.