I'm trying to step it up a notch with regards to the complexity of the recipes I'm attempting, and to that end, I made fatayer this past weekend. Fatayer (spinach pies) are popular all over the Middle East and a staple of mezze menus in Damascus. The biggest challenge is shaping the dough into compact triangles around a heaping tablespoon or so of filling. After a few false starts, I got the hang of it. If you don't have time to make dough, you can use store-bought pie crust.

DOUGH

Ingredients

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Activate yeast by dissolving it in 1/4 cup of warm water with sugar. Let rest 10 minutes.

2. Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. With a spoon, create a well or small gap in the center of the dry mixture and add the oil and yeast mixture.

3. Using an electric mixer, slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of water slowly.

4. Remove dough from bowl (will be sticky) and knead by hand about 5 minutes or until dough is firm.

5. Spritz a large bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough into bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest until doubled in size (about 1.5 hours).

FILLING & PIES

Ingredients

2 lbs frozen chopped spinach (thawed and patted until completely dry)
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pine nuts
sesame seeds for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine spinach, onion, salt, lemon juice, cinnamon, and pine nuts.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Dust a large cutting board or surface with flour. Roll out the dough to 1/8 thickness and cut into circles (you can use a water glass) roughly 4 inches in diameter. Reknead dough and repeat until all dough is used up.

4. Place a tablespoon or so of filling in center of each dough circle. Fold sides around fillings to form a triangle. This recipe has some helpful photos.

Recipe: Fatayer

DOUGH

Ingredients

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Activate yeast by dissolving it in 1/4 cup of warm water with sugar. Let rest 10 minutes.

2. Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. With a spoon, create a well or small gap in the center of the dry mixture and add the oil and yeast mixture.

3. Using an electric mixer, slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of water slowly.

4. Remove dough from bowl (will be sticky) and knead by hand about 5 minutes or until dough is firm.

5. Spritz a large bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough into bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest until doubled in size (about 1.5 hours).

FILLING & PIES

Ingredients

2 lbs frozen chopped spinach (thawed and patted until completely dry)

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup pine nuts

sesame seeds for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine spinach, onion, salt, lemon juice, cinnamon, and pine nuts.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Dust a large cutting board or surface with flour. Roll out the dough to 1/8 thickness and cut into circles (you can use a water glass) roughly 4 inches in diameter. Reknead dough and repeat until all dough is used up.

4. Place a tablespoon or so of filling in center of each dough circle. Fold sides around fillings to form a triangle. This recipe has some helpful photos.

5. Place fatayer on baking sheets and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. Bake for 18-20 minutes until brown.

Serve hot to guests; eat cold leftovers the next day for breakfast.

Sawyer’s Dairy Bar