Saffayeh Bil Lahmeh

Delicious two-bite sized savory pies that are especially good with a spoon of tart yogurt on top. You can use beef, lamb, or a mixture for the meat if you prefer. We like to use a pomegranate molasses and tomato paste mixture but again you can change the ratios or omit one or the other to your tastes.

Ingredients

Makes about 24 pies

• Basic dough
  • 1 batch
• Lean ground beef
  • 1.5 lbs
• Yellow onion
  • 2 medium
• Tomato paste (and/or pomegranate molasses)
  • 3 tablespoons
• Pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup
• Ground allspice
  • 1 tablespoon
• Ground cardamom
  • 1 tablespoon
• Salt
  • 1 tablespoon
• Black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon

Recipe

1. Make a batch of dough (see the Ajeenah recipe).
2. Preheat your oven to 450° F.
3. Dice and sauté the onions in vegetable oil until translucent.
4. Add the spices and the meat and brown it on all sides in batches.
5. Add the tomato paste and/or pomegranate molasses and pine nuts and cook for a few minutes.
6. Cut the dough into three to four inch rounds and arrange them into a greased baking pan.
7. Place about a tablespoon of the meat mixture into each round and let the dough rise for 15 minutes.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. You can broil the top but keep an eye on it as it burns quickly.
9. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before serving.