Baalbek-Style Sfiha

Baalbek-Style Sfiha

This is a recipe for Baalbek-style sfiha from Sham Al Aseel. The basic filling consists of 1 kilo of meat with onion, tomato, bell peppers, pomegranate molasses, seven-spice blend, black pepper, dried coriander, and salt. The chef notes that lamb with good fat content is best, and suggests using fine semolina for shaping if available, with the option of adding pine nuts on top of the rounds. Shape the rounds small and bake in a 250-degree oven until the bottoms, then the tops, are browned. Serve hot.

Small meat-topped pastries or open pies in a Baalbek style.

Like Middle Eastern mini meat pies.

Sfiha is usually baked and can be served as a snack or main dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo meat
  • 2 pieces medium onion
  • 2 pieces medium tomato
  • 2 pieces green and red bell peppers
  • half a cup pomegranate molasses
  • 1 teaspoon seven-spice blend
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried coriander
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • best lamb
  • best leg meat
  • best neck meat
  • if available fine semolina
  • optional pine nuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
  2. Cut the meat into very small pieces in the prep bowl.
  3. Cut the onion into very small pieces in the prep bowl.
  4. Cut the tomato into very small pieces in the prep bowl.
  5. Prepare the bell peppers in the prep bowl after removing their seeds.
  6. Grind the meat with the vegetables in a meat grinder.
  7. Season the ground meat in the mixing bowl with salt, seven-spice blend, black pepper, dried coriander, and pomegranate molasses.
  8. Mix the filling well in the mixing bowl until combined.
  9. Divide the dough in the shaping bowl into very small pieces, approximately smaller than a ping-pong ball.
  10. Leave the dough pieces in the resting bowl to rest for 10 minutes.
  11. If the filling contains too much liquid, drain it in a colander before shaping.
  12. Sprinkle flour or fine semolina over the shaping surface, if available.
  13. Flatten a piece of dough by hand or with a rolling pin into a small circle in the shaping bowl.
  14. Place an amount of filling over each piece of dough in the shaping bowl.
  15. Shape the rounds and arrange them on an oiled baking tray or one lined with parchment paper.
  16. If available, place pine nuts on top of each round on the baking tray.
  17. Bake the tray in the preheated oven at 250 degrees until the bottoms are browned.
  18. Move the baking tray to the upper part of the oven to brown the tops.
  19. Serve the sfiha hot after removing it from the oven.

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