Sfeeha with Puff Pastry
Ingredients
Meat Filling
- 500 g ground beef, lamb, or a combination of both
- 1 small tomato, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 ½ tsp Arabic 7-spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp chilli paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pastry
- 1 package puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
- 1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the tomato, onion, parsley and garlic and pulse until finely chopped, taking care not to process the mixture into a purée. Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve and drain well, pressing gently to remove excess liquid.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, drained vegetable mixture, pomegranate molasses, Arabic 7-spice, cinnamon, chilli paste and tomato paste. Season with salt and black pepper and mix until evenly combined.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Unroll the chilled puff pastry and cut it into equal-sized squares or rounds.
- Arrange the pastry pieces on the prepared tray. Spoon a small amount of meat filling into the centre of each piece and gently spread it out, leaving approximately a 2cm border around the edges. Fold or pinch the edges slightly to create a raised border.
- Brush the exposed pastry edges lightly with beaten egg.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the pastry is puffed and golden, including underneath. If needed, place under the broiler/grill for 1–2 minutes at the end to brown the tops, watching carefully to prevent burning.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with yoghurt, tahini sauce and fresh lemon wedges.