Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeehas) – Lebanese meat pies or sfeehas (open-faced meat pies) are savory pastries. They are traditionally served like pizzas. Alternatively, they can be little pockets of dough stuffed with ground beef (or Lamb). Make large meat pies for the main course or smaller for a starter.
They’re comfort food at its finest.
Our international collaboration this month takes us to Lebanon. Lebanon is probably the oldest country name in the world and has not changed for over 4000 years. It should be noted that Lebanon has some of the world’s most recognizable dishes, such as hummus, Baba Ghanoush, rice pilaf, and Tabbouleh.
YouTube chefs from around the world are participating. A dozen chefs will make some of Lebanon’s most famous dishes. They are using the hashtag #eatkibbeh. My entry for #eatkibbeh is Sfeehas (Sa-vee-has). They are Lebanese open-faced meat pies that are stuffed with a beef filling. I’m using ground beef instead of lamb.
Ingredients for Lebanese Meat Pies:
Pie Dough: See below
Seasonings and flavorings: Salt, instant yeast, sugar, ground cinnamon, allspice, a dash of cayenne pepper, and sumac
Sauce: Tahini paste and pomegranate molasses are for the filling.
Oil, ghee, and eggs: You’ll need a high-heat oil such as avocado or canola oil. You’ll also need a couple of eggs for the dough. Use the Ghee for the filling.
Onions and tomatoes: These ingredients help make up the filling.
Finishing ingredients: Add Lemon juice and parsley at the end of the cooking.
What’s in Lebanese 7 spice?
In the Lebanese culinary culture, 7 Spice variations are plentiful between manufacturers and family recipes. Sometimes the mix includes cardamom, paprika, ginger, or fenugreek.
- Allspice: Allspice is not a combo of all spices. It is a ground, dried berry of a tree called pimenta dioica. It looks like a peppercorn.
- Black pepper: Pepper is best when freshly ground.
- Cinnamon: Westerners associate it with sweet dishes, but cinnamon has many savory uses.
- Ground cloves: Very fragrant, cloves come from the flower bud of an Indonesian tree.
- Coriander: Coriander comes from the ground seeds of the cilantro plant.
- Cumin: A prevalent spice of Middle Eastern cuisine, cumin is the seed of a plant surprisingly from the parsley family.
- Nutmeg: The seed of a tropical evergreen tree. You can find ground cloves in most stores.
Make the dough
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour containers both baking powder and a dash of salt. Making self-rising flour at home is easy. Just use this basic formula: For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1.5 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp fine salt. Whisk the ingredients in a large bowl.
Milk Powder: gives homemade Lebanese meat pies a nice flavor, texture, and tenderness.
The dough recipe is an easy basic one common in Lebanese meat, cheese, and spinach pies.
It will have more oil than basic pizza dough (we are using Avocado Oil), which helps it get golden in the oven.
Cook the filling for Lebanese Meat Pies
Add the ground beef and onions to a hot skillet.
Cook until the beef is browned and the onions are soft.
Add the tomatoes, spices, and parsley.
Stir to combine until the ground beef filling and the spices are very fragrant.
Lebanese Meat Pies – Assemble and Bake
Knead the dough
Press the dough into circles.
You can also roll, but it’s easier to press them out instead.
Place some of the beef filling in the middle of each circle.
You can make open-face pies or closed pies.
For an open-face, roll the dough into a flat circle.
Add some meat filling in the middle.
Fold the edges to encircle the meat filling
For closed pies, fold the dough over to cover the beef.
Seal the edges with a fork or your fingers.
Lebanese Meat Pies
Equipment
- No Special Equipment
Materials
For the Dough
- 4 cups self-rising flour (See notes below for substitution) plus more
- 3 tbsp powdered milk
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast usually 1 package
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup warm water 105-110º
- ** [Formula for self-rising flour at home. For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour add 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp fine salt. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.]
For the Filling
- 2 tbsp ghee or oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb Ground Beef or ground lamb
- 3 Roma tomatoes diced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp Lebanese 7 Spice Allspice, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Nutmeg, Ground Clove, Blk Pepper
- 6 tbsp Tahini paste
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp Chili paste
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Chopped parsley
Instructions
To Make the Dough
- Add the dry ingredients for the dough to a mixing bowl.
- Whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center, and add oil and eggs.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir as you add the water.
- When the dough comes together, make sure it isn't dry.
- If it is still dry, add another 1-2 tbsp of room temp water.
- Dump it out on a clean work surface.
- Knead it 6-8 times.
- When it comes together but doesn’t hold its shape, Place it in a bowl and cover it with plastic.
- Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
For the Filling
- Heat the ghee/oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions & garlic for 3 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the ground beef, and cook until the meat is cooked through about 7-8 minutes.
- Heat to med-high, add the tomatoes and, continue cooking for 5 min until the tomatoes wilt and the liquid dries out.
- Add the salt, Lebanese 7 Spice, chili paste, tahini, and pomegranate molasses.
- Let cool for one minute.
- Turn off the heat, then add the lemon juice and parsley.
- Let the filling cool completely to room temperature before you attempt to fill the meat pies.
To Assemble the Meat Pies
- Put the rack in center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF
- Divide the dough out into 16 (for large) or 32 (for small size.)
- Spread about a tsp or 2 of flour on the work surface.
- Roll out dough balls on the lightly floured surface into a 4–6” circle. If the dough feels a little oily, don’t add more flour
- Place 2 tbsp of filling for large sfeehas and 1 tbsp for small
- Grab 2 ends and bring them to the center over the filling.
- Pinch the seam together to create a seal.
- Stop at the center and bring the last side up and pinch it down the sides to create a triangle.
- Some people like to let the filling show a little, while others like to close it up completely. Your choice.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake 6 large per sheet pan or 12 small.
- Let the pies rest for 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the start to turn lightly golden browning.
- Serve warm with cold Greek yogurt, and lemon wedges
Video
Notes
• The leaner the meat the better, maybe 90/10 ratio.
** [Formula for self-rising flour at home. For every 1 cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp fine salt. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.]
Nutrition
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Tasty Lebanese treats
These sound wonderful! I like the open face concept here.
The map you’ve attached is totally wrong. “West Bank” is actually historical Judea and Samaria, which are part of the ancient Land of Israel.
There is no state named “Palestine”. It is a name that the Romans gave the whole region, way before the Arabs invaded the area.
I take no responsibility for the map of Lebanon. I guess you can’t believe everything you see on the internet