I took the ingredients list for the dough from a Moro cookbook because having used it for large numbers I knew it worked really well but the method, fillings and finish is my own.
Dough
Makes 24 small fatayers
220g of strong white bread flour
100ml of tepid water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of dried yeast
Directions
- For the dough mix in the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the olive oil and then add the water gradually as different flours will take slightly different amounts of water. The dough shouldn’t stick.
- I knead the dough until it is soft and then leave it to rest.
Spinach and goats cheese filling
400g of frozen spinach
120g of good quality dried figs
100g of mild soft goats cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Tablespoon of olive oil
I used figs from Kalamata.The smell of frying dried figs rivals the magnificence of the smell of freshly baked bread. I always find that frozen spinach is easier to handle in fillings where you need to keep the dough from getting soggy e.g. spanakopita.
Directions
- Chop the figs in small pieces and fry in the olive oil on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the spinach. Once the spinach is soft add the goats cheese and stir in. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Preparing the Fatayers
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to grease an oven tray
- Preheat the oven to 230◦C / 450F / Gas 8 and prepare an oven tray with a gently oiled greaseproof paper.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 3mm thickness.
- Cut using a 10 cm diameter ring and place on a plate making sure you flour each layer to avoid sticking.
- Cover the plate with a very damp cloth to avoid drying out.
- Shaping the fatayers is demonstrated perfectly by Chef Kamal below . It takes a little practice, by the 4th one a method is soon developed and the end result is worth it.
- This recipe is for smaller fatayers and so one tablespoon of filling should be more than sufficient. Once the fatayers have been prepared brush with egg wash and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. When removed from the oven allow to cool on a rack or serve immediately.
- They are best served warm with the tahini dip.
Tahini dip
10 tablespoons of boiling water
5 tablespoons of tahini paste
1 lemon
1 tablespoon of good olive oil
1 small garlic glove crushed with seasalt
1 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses (optional)
Directions
- Crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar with enough salt to absorb its juices. Scrape into a bowl.
- Add the tahini paste (make sure you stir the tahini in the jar as the oil settles on the top).
- Add the boiling water gradually and stir. The consistency should be of single cream.
- Add the juice of a lemon.
- I then poured the tahini into two bowls, one for the lamb fatayers and one for the spinach fatayers. For the lamb fatayers I drizzled on some pomegranate molasses.
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