Best 4 Spinach Pies Middle East Palestine Recipes

SPINACH PIES (MIDDLE EAST, PALESTINE)

Steps:

• Wash spinach, chop, and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.
• Mix with all the ingredients and set aside.
• Using the basic dough recipe that I have posted, take the 2 1/2" balls of dough and roll out to 4" circles (more like squares with rounded edges).
• Put a heaping tablespoon of spinach filling on each circle.
• Fold up from the bottom to the middle, and bring in sides to center to form triangle. (If you put one corner in front of you, then you would fold down the top corner, and bring in the sides, and you should have a triangle).
• Press down seams firmly and pinch ends together.
• Grease pan and place pies on the pan (seams down) and brush the tops with olive oil.
• Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until pies are golden brown. (I have a older gas stove, and had to turn my oven to about 325°F in order for the top and bottom to cook evenly, so adjust the temperature according to your oven).

LEBANESE SPINACH PIES

Steps:

• Mix the yeast, warm water and sugar in a cup and let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast mixture rises and doubles in size. This step is important to make sure the yeast is active.
• In an electrical mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients in. Start by adding in the yeast and mix, then gradually add in the warm milk and oil gradually. Continue kneading the dough on low speed for 1-2 minutes until the dough collect well together.
• Remove the bowl out from the mixer and collect with your hand to make a round dough. Return to the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap for 45-1 hour until the dough doubles in size.
• Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped spinach to shrink them. Next, set on a strainer and allow the liquids to drain and the spinach to cool.
• Once this step is done, dice the tomatoes.
• Let's get back to the spinach. At this point they are cool enough, and you will drain them one more time by squeezing them with your hands to remove all the excess water or use a towel cloth.
• All the main ingredients are ready to combine now. In a bowl, place the spinach, onions, tomatoes, salt, sumac, black pepper, cayenne pepper (optional). If you are using citric acid, place in now. Mix to combine well. Set aside. If you are using lemon juice mix in right before you are ready to fill the pies.
• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Let's get back to the dough. Remove it from the bowl, sprinkle some flour on it and knead a little bit with your hands on a marble slab or cutting board to deflate it. Cut up the dough and form into small even balls.
• You can also roll the dough into a big piece and cut out 3 inch circles with a cookie cutter or some sort of round lid like a mason jar lid. This will prevent you find rolling each dough at a time.
• Using a normal kitchen teaspoon place a heaping teaspoon of filling on the dough. Wrap the dough in the form the shape shown in the photo. You basically pick up two sides of the round dough and close them together then close the back part to form a triangle like shape. Make sure you pinch the edges very well to seal it and prevent it from opening. Repeat for the reminder of the dough mixture.
• Place the pieces on a large sheet pan or two lined with a parchment paper leaving 1 inch apart. Brush generously with lightly flavored olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then brush with more olive oil and continue baking for another 5-10 until they get a light golden brown color depending on your oven.
• Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cool for a minute or two before serving. Serve with some lemon wedges.

MIDDLE EASTERN SPINACH WITH SPICES AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat and add the clove, allspice berries, and coriander seeds or cumin seeds. Heat, shaking the pan, until the spices begin to smell toasty, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes, then grind in a spice mill. Add the cinnamon, and set aside.
• In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt to a paste, and stir into the yogurt. Set aside.
• Place the baby spinach in a bowl and pour on boiling water to cover. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess water, and chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the pine nuts. Cook, stirring, until they begin color (2 to 3 minutes), then remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the spices to the oil. When they begin to sizzle, cook for about 30 seconds and add the spinach, toasted pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through and coated with the oil and spices, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon the yogurt over the top. This is very nice served with Arabic bread.

PALESTINIAN SPINACH PIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with the whole wheat flour, yeast, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil.
• Mix at medium speed until a soft, supple dough forms, about 10 minutes. Using oiled hands, transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough stand in a draft-free spot until slightly risen, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Add the diced onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes.
• Add the sumac and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the spinach and let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 450° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 pieces.
• Form each piece of dough into a ball, dust with flour and let stand for 10 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough to a 5-inch round. Spread the spinach filling over half of each round, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
• Brush the rims with water and fold the dough over to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal.
• Transfer the spinach pies to the prepared baking sheets and brush the tops with the beaten egg.
• Bake the pies for about 18 minutes, or until golden; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back HALFWAY through baking.
• Transfer the spinach pies to a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.
• MAKE AHEAD: The cooled spinach pies can be tightly wrapped in foil and refrigerated overnight. Reheat the pies in the foil in a 325° oven.
• NOTES: Sumac is a fruity, tangy spice made from dried, ground berries. It is available at Middle Eastern markets and online from penzeys.com.