Cheese Fatayer
This recipe is for Syrian cheese fatayer, filled primarily with Akkawi cheese after it has been desalted, then minced and mixed with parsley, eggs, and animal ghee. The pastries are shaped in several ways using pre-prepared dough, decorated with sesame seeds and nigella seeds, and some shapes are brushed with egg mixed with a little vanilla, then baked in a 350-degree oven until golden.
A recipe for cheese-filled fatayer, which are savory baked pastries.
Like cheese-stuffed hand pies.
Seal the edges well so the cheese stays inside while baking.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo Akkawi cheese
- 2 tablespoons animal ghee
- 5 eggs
- about 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- for decoration sesame seeds
- for decoration nigella seeds
- according to the pre-prepared dough dough
- a little flour
- to desalinate the cheese lukewarm water
- for brushing some shapes eggs
- a little with the egg wash vanilla
- mentioned as not giving a suitable result for decoration oil
Instructions
- Cut the Akkawi cheese with a knife on a cutting board into thin rectangular pieces so it is easier to desalinate.
- Place the cut Akkawi cheese in a bowl of lukewarm water, neither cold nor hot, to desalinate the cheese.
- If you are in a hurry, run a continuous thin stream of water over the Akkawi cheese in the bowl and let the water renew for about half an hour until the cheese is desalted.
- If you are not in a hurry, change the water around the Akkawi cheese in the bowl periodically and leave it for about a quarter of an hour until the cheese is ready.
- Drain the Akkawi cheese well in a colander after ensuring that the appropriate saltiness has been removed.
- Mince the Akkawi cheese finely in a grinder after draining it well of water.
- Place the minced Akkawi cheese in the mixing bowl.
- Add the finely chopped parsley to the mixing bowl, about four tablespoons.
- Add five eggs to the mixing bowl.
- Add two tablespoons of animal ghee to the mixing bowl.
- Stir the cheese filling in the mixing bowl until the ingredients are combined.
- Place a little flour on the work surface and on both sides of the prepared piece of dough.
- Roll out the piece of dough with a rolling pin on the work surface until it is oval-shaped.
- Place the cheese filling on the dough by hand or with a spoon on the work surface.
- Wrap the dough around the filling on the work surface and seal the edges well to make the long shape.
- Shape other pieces of dough on the work surface into square, open, or triangular shapes as desired, as shown in the video.
- Brush the closed shapes with egg mixed with a little vanilla in a small bowl before baking.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and nigella seeds over the pastries after brushing them with the egg wash.
- Heat the oven to its highest setting, 350 degrees, with heat on from above and below.
- Place the cheese fatayer in a baking tray, then put the tray in the oven first on the lower rack until the pastries turn golden underneath.
- Move the tray of cheese fatayer higher in the oven for about 3 minutes until the tops reach the desired browned color.
- Remove the tray of cheese fatayer from the oven when they are golden, and serve hot.