Fatayer — Folded Spinach & Sumac Pies

Ingredients

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ cup warm water
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 8 cups Spinach, finely chopped
• 1 onion, minced fine
• 2 tbsp sumac
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Knead the flour, yeast, salt, water, and 2 tbsp of the oil into a soft dough, 8 minutes, and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
2. Salt the chopped Spinach heavily and leave it 20 minutes, then squeeze it dry with both hands until barely any liquid comes out. Wet filling is the single reason fatayer burst.
3. Mix the squeezed greens with the onion, sumac, lemon juice, pine nuts, remaining oil, and pepper. Taste — it should be aggressively lemony and sour.
4. Roll the dough thin and cut 4-inch rounds. Put a spoonful of filling in each, then bring three sides up to meet in the center and pinch each seam from the point downward, sealing hard.
5. Set them on a lined tray seam-up, brush with oil, and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 20–22 minutes until the pastry is golden and the seams have held.
6. Cool 5 minutes and eat warm, or pack them cold — they travel better than almost any other pastry.