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spinach and sumac fatayer

photo of cooked spinach and sumac fatayer on a plate

If there’s a recipe which sums up the dedication of one half of shorkk (the better half) it has to be these spinach and sumac fatayer. Recently when the other half of shorkk casually asked for a fair few of these delicious crisp pastry parcels filled with sumac and spinach to sustain foragers after their walk, the request was met by a raised eye brow but nothing more. In our household the Lebanese culinary heritage is being passed down through the paternal line. And as we’re discovering, while there are many recipe books which guide and help, often it’s a phone call or a youtube video which is key.

In Barbara Massaad‘s Forever Beirut she packages the sumac and spinach filling into dough parcels made with yeast. This is easier to handle and when straight out of the oven the warm dough is deliciously chewy. But we were after something different: trying to capture the lightness of fatayer made by Ghattas, a bakery near where we used to live in Beirut. In fact it’s more pastry than dough. The better half of shorkk did a fair bit of research on youtube videos and tried an unusual trick. Once the oil has been rubbed into the flour, before adding the water, it is then pushed through a fairly open wire mesh sieve. Rather like rubbing every grain of couscous by hand with olive oil as a way of making sure the fat is even distributed before steaming. If this feels a step too far, by all means continue to make the pastry by adding the water once the rubbing stage is over. 

The filling can be made with a variety of green leaves. Often in Lebanon during Lent wild greens are foraged: sorrel for its lemony taste or purslane with its distinctive earthy character. Here in the UK, dandelion leaves are worth trying. If you buy spinach from a supermarket, look for perpetual spinach rather than the small salad leaves which are full of water. Once rinsed and chopped, the leaves benefit from being rubbed with salt to draw out excess water. Be generous with the sumac, you’ll love its lemony taste and red hue with the greens.

spinach and sumac filling chopped up on the pastry ready to be folded
fatayer on a baking tray ready to be cooked

A final note on the shape. Fatayer are instantly recognisable because of their tricorn shape. The way to achieve this is by seeing the disc like a clock. By gently lifting 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock and joining them together to form a seam, you then close the gap by bringing up the final third at 6 o’clock to meet the other seam. It takes a bit of practice, but is very satisfying when it works!

Makes about 60.

ingredients

pastry 

420g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 
120ml vegetable oil
210ml water room temperature

filling 

450g large leaf spinach/ Swiss chard leaves (stalks removed)
1 tbsp salt (to rub the leaves with)
1 onion, chopped finely
1/4 tsp salt & black pepper freshly ground to taste
1 medium tomato, finely diced
2 tbsp Zejd sumac
juice of a lemon 
120ml of Zejd EVOO, plus extra for brushing the pastries before cooking 
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) 

method

  1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Pour in the oil and rub with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Push the mixture through a sieve with a metal spoon (it won’t hurt to do it twice).
  2. Add the water and stir until it comes together. Knead the pastry briefly until it is soft and smooth. Leave in a bowl covered with a damp cloth while you make the filling. 
  3. Wash the leaves and dry in a salad spinner before slicing finely with a sharp kitchen knife. Place in a bowl and add the tablespoon of salt. Rub the leaves gently with the salt to help extract any excess water. Pour off the residue liquid and set aside.
  4. In another bowl add the finely chopped onion and the salt and pepper and rub with your fingers to soften the onion. Squeeze the onion to extract excess water. Add the spinach, chopped tomato, Zejd sumac, Zejd EVOO, lemon juice and cayenne if using to the spinach bowl. Mix really well with your hands. It should taste as good as a salad. 
  5. Oil two baking trays with a little vegetable oil. Flour your work surface. Cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll one ball as thin as possible, 2 mm is ideal.
  6. Using a 8cm pastry cutter cut out as many discs as you can. In the centre of each place a scant teaspoon of the spinach and sumac mixture. Thinking of the disc as a clock, bring the sides at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock to meet in the middle, then bring up the final third at 6 o’clock to close the triangular shape. Pinch firmly along the seam line making sure it is well closed. It should look like a tricorn hat. Place on the oiled baking tray. Continue with the remaining pastry.
  7. This is the moment to freeze some if you prefer to eat them at a later date.
  8. Turn the oven on to 180 degrees, Gas mark 4. Brush the tops of the fatayer with Zejd EVOO and place in the oven once hot. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. (If cooking from frozen, there’s no need to defrost). Delicious eaten hot, warm or cold! 
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