Love our Spinach and Lemon Pies, but looking for a savory Middle Eastern pastry that packs a bit more of a protein punch? Our Meat Pies are for you. The already-delicious flavors of hashwi are rounded out by toasted pine nuts for a bit of crunch, and Lebanese yogurt for the perfect tangy zing. And speaking of hashwi…while traditionally made from lamb, in the Kalil kitchen, we utilize an even blend of lamb and beef. We recommend selecting cuts with an 80% lean, 20% fat ratio to impart extra flavor and moisture. And remember: the drier your hands are, the easier it will be to seal your pies!
MEAT PIES
1 full recipe of Hashwi
1/2 Tablespoon Syrian Spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/5 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup Lebanese Yogurt
1/4 cup Toasted Pine Nuts
Basic Dough
Directions
Blend all the filling ingredients well and chill. Follow the procedure for Spinach Pies (copied below).
Have a bowl of all-purpose flour handy to flour your hands and any surface as needed. Portion out 1 ½ oz balls of Basic Dough, rounding with your hands and dipping lightly in flour to prevent stickiness before placing in rows on a clean surface. Cover loosely with plastic to prevent air from drying out the dough, and allow to rise for 10-15 minutes. One batch of Basic Dough makes approximately 36 dough balls.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Flour your work surface. Place one dough ball in the center of your work surface and flatten with the heel of your hand. Stretch the flattened dough ball into a circle that is approximately 4 ½” in diameter. Keep the edges of the dough thin; the middle should be thick enough to support the weight of the filling. Avoid over-flouring, as this will cause the dough to lose its tackiness and make sealing more difficult.
Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough circle. Using your fingers, shape the filling into a triangle.
To shape, gather the edges of the dough and pinch tightly with your fingers to seal in the shape of a triangle—if pies are not closed tightly enough they will open up while baking. (Note: See video below for demonstration.) Place each pie on the sheet pan and bake 12-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with canola oil while still warm. Let cool on sheet pan.
SEALING TECHNIQUE