Egyptian Meat Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, mix the oil, water and salt, until dissolved.
• Gradually work in enough flour to make a soft, malleable dough.
• You may roll it out right away to use, or if you want to set it aside for an hour or so you can, but keep it covered and at room temperature.
• Now make the filling: Brown the meat in a large skillet, breaking up into small pieces.
• Add the onions and cook until they are translucent and starting to brown.
• Add the salt, pepper, allspice and cinnamon, and stir well.
• Add the water to deglaze the pan and cook another 5 minutes or so.
• Add the toasted pine nuts and mix well. Turn off the heat.
• Now divide your dough in pieces, either 12 pieces for large pies or 20 pieces for small pies (appetizer-sized).
• Without using flour for the rolling board or rolling pin, roll each piece into circles or ovals, less than 1/4 inch thick, if possible (equivalent to less than 1/2 cm). This is an oily dough and won't stick to your rolling board or your pin, and doesn't need extra flour.
• For small pies put 2 heaping teaspoons of filling, for large pies put 3 generous tablespoons, just off-center.
• Fold one half of the dough over to cover, and make a half-moon shape. Seal the edges by pinching, folding and twisting.
• Lightly oil (or spray with Pam) your baking sheets, and place the pies spaced at least 1/2 inch apart.
• Mix the egg yolk with about one teaspoon of water, and use to glaze the pies, if desired.
• If desired, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
• Let cool a few minutes before eating, as filling will be very hot. These are also good cold the next day, if you have any left!
• Freezes well.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a nonstick skillet, using a teaspoon of butter or oil, sweat the onions, pepper and garlic until soft.
• Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink, then add the spices and mix well. Remove from heat and drain off excess fat.
• Prepare a rectangular baking dish (of a size similar to that of the phyllo sheets - I used 9" x 13") by lightly brushing the bottom and sides of the dish with the melted butter or oil.
• Layer the phyllo dough in the pan, brushing each two or three sheets with melted butter or oil.
• When 1/2 of the phyllo dough has been layered in the pan, spread the meat filling in and continue covering with the remaining phyllo dough, making sure to brush the last layer with a bit of extra butter or oil to ensure a nice golden color.
• Before baking uncovered in the oven, cut through the "pie" with a sharp knife into squares or diamonds.
• Bake until golden. May be eaten either hot or cold, with a large green salad.
• This dish may be made vegetarian by substituting a spinach/feta cheese mixture for the meat filling according to the original recipe, but I've always used the meat. I've also added feta cheese in with the meat mixture, and it makes a nice addition.

Steps:

• Make the dukkah: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Pour the hazelnuts onto a baking sheet, then slip into the oven and toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 12 minutes. Pour the nuts onto one half of a clean kitchen towel, then fold over the other half. Rub gently to remove the skins. Pour the nuts onto a cutting board, finely chop and set aside.
• Set a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds and toast, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly darker in color but not burned, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the seeds with the hazelnuts, then coarsely grind with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
• Make the pie: Increase the oven temperature to 400˚ F. Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and cook until melted and browned just a little. Add the shallots and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Rinse the spinach. Drain, but don't worry about getting all the water off. Add the spinach to the shallot-garlic mixture in batches, stirring, until all of the spinach is wilted, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the dill and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess liquid. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Add the mozzarella and cheddar to the spinach. Stir well and let cool. (You can pop it into the fridge to hurry this along!)
• Place one puff pastry sheet in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish or 9-inch pie plate. Spoon in the spinach filling, using the back of a spatula to level it out. Layer the other puff pastry sheet on top, and then crimp the edges, cutting off any excess. Brush the beaten egg on the puff pastry and sprinkle with the dukkah spice blend. Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the sumac. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting into the pie.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the hazelnut dukkah: Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 12 minutes. Let cool. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a saute pan over medium heat, about 1 minute.
• Grind the coriander, cumin and hazelnuts in a spice grinder. Mix with the sesame seeds.
• For the spinach pie: In a large skillet, saute the garlic and shallots in the butter over medium heat until softened. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the dill, nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Let cool slightly, then stir in the Cheddar and mozzarella.
• Lay one sheet of puff pastry in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread with the spinach stuffing. Lay the other sheet on top, pinch the edges closed, and cut into six pieces. Sprinkle with dukkah and brush the edges with egg wash. Set the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the pie is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle with the sumac and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place the potato in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, mash, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, crumble the ground beef and pork into a large saucepan, and add the garlic, onion and water. Season with mustard powder, thyme, cloves and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring to crumble the meat and mix in the spices, until the meat is evenly browned. Remove from the heat, and mix in the mashed potato.
• Place one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie plate. Fill with the meat mixture, then top with the other pie crust. Prick the top crust a few times with a knife to vent steam. Crimp around the edges using the tines of the fork, and remove any excess dough. Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust has browned. Serve by itself, or with a beef gravy.