These delicious and traditional 'pies' are very common in our Palestinian cuisine. There are countless versions of these savory appetizers and they have different names according to what they are topped with or how they are shaped. I made triangular-shaped pies, known as 'kras, that were stuffed with a spinach and onion seasoned with a blend of earthy spices. I also made circular pies, known as sfeeha, which are topped with seasoned ground beef and tomatoes. These were baked and enjoyed together for a light dinner. What's your favorite way to eat these adorable mini pies?
My husband and I love to eat these with sour cream on the side as a dip. It really adds a perfect tang to the homemade dough and helps lift the flavors of the stuffings.
You can make the sfeeha with chicken, or just plain cheese. They come out delicious either way!
Growing up, sfeeha and 'kras were huge in my household, and even bigger in my grandma's house. When we were kids, every week she would have a whole tray of these sitting on her counter and we would munch away as we spent time with her. As an adult, I still get excited when I know I'm going to see her, because she most likely brings along a batch with her every time! Throughout the years, I have had many variations of these pies, and everyone has their own special way of making them. I put my favorite things about these delights together into a delicious recipe for you guys!
I made this dough from scratch and I got to make about 50 pies total. It makes a large amount and is perfect in my opinion for leftovers. You can even freeze these once baked and throw them in the oven when you want a light lunch or a breakfast on the go! If 50 is too much, no worries, just cut the recipe in half and you'll have a much smaller batch to work with. However, these are just way too good, and for me, the more the better!
Prep Time: 60 minutes Yields: 25 Spinach, 25 Meat
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, and 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the Dough:
2 Packages of Instant Yeast
1 tsp. Sugar
2 cups Lukewarm Water
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 cup Sour Cream
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6 cups All-Purpose Flour
For the Meat Mixture:
2 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 Packets of Sazon Cilantro y Tomate Flavor
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
1 cup Laban, or Plain Yogurt
For the Spinach Mixture:
1 (24 oz) Bag Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted
1 Medium Onion, chopped in a food processor
1/2 Tbsp. Sumac
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. 7 Spice
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small bowl, add in the yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water. Mix well and allow it to sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
In a separate large bowl, pour in the milk, vegetable oil, olive oil, sour cream and yeast mixture. Mix it all together and allow it to sit for another 10 minutes.
Slowly add in the flour, one cup at a time, to the liquid mixture. I first use a spatula for the first few cups until the dough becomes more solid. I then use my hands to begin to knead the dough until the dough stops sticking to my hands.
Form the dough into a large ball. Cover the sides and bottom of the bowl in olive oil and then place the ball of dough in there. This prevents the ball from getting sticky. Let the dough sit for an hour, covered with a towel.
While the dough is setting, add in the ground beef and onions to a large pot over medium heat. Cook them both through until there is no pink left in the meat, about 10 minutes.
Add in the sazon, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix well and continue to cook the meat until there is no water left in the pot. Remove from heat.
Allow the meat mixture to cool for about 10 minutes, then add in the tomatoes and the laban. Stir well and set aside. The laban prevents the meat from drying out when it bakes in the oven and allows it to keep its pretty brown color.
For the spinach, place all of the defrosted spinach in a large towel. Squeeze out as much water from the spinach as possible. Place the spinach into a large bowl.
Once you have chopped the onions using a food processor, squeeze the onion juice out of those as well, with a towel. Add the onions to the bowl of spinach. You need to squeeze out the juices from both of these ingredients because it prevents your pies from getting soggy.
In the bowl, season the spinach and onions with sumac, salt, 7 spice, and black pepper. Squeeze in the lemon juice and mix the ingredients very well. Taste and adjust to your liking.
Once the dough has set for an hour, make about 50 balls of 3-in. dough out of it.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the meat pies, you want to oil the surface lightly with olive oil and place the 3 in. dough on the surface. Flatted the dough into about a 5-in. circle (doesn't have to be perfect) and add a big spoonful of the meat mixture to the middle. Spread out the mix, leaving about a 1/2 in. border on the pie.
For the spinach pies you're going to create the same 5-in. circle as the meat pies. Then you put a big spoonful of the spinach mixture in the center. Grab the upper right side of the circle and bring it down over the mixture. Then grab the upper left side and bring it down over the mixture as well. This should create the top point of the triangle. You should then be left with the bottom base of the triangle. Bring the last side up to the center and it should create the last two points of the triangle. You can lightly shape it if it doesn't come out evenly. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it!
Make these pies on oiled baking sheets and bake them for about 10 minutes each, until the dough is fluffy and golden brown.
Serve and enjoy!
These can be store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for a couple of months.
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