Feteer

Always filled or topped, and the filling goes between two stretched sheets rather than into a parcel.

Beef. Not vegetarian — contains a sausage whose meat the source does not name, beef, mozzarella whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

the dough

• 500 g plain flour
• 300 ml warm water
• 10 g salt
• 200 g ghee, melted

the filling

• 400 g minced beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 200 g Egyptian sausage or spiced sausage, sliced
• 150 g pastırma or cured beef, sliced
• 250 g mozzarella or rumi cheese, grated
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• salt and black pepper

Method

1. IT IS ALWAYS FILLED OR TOPPED, and the filling goes between two stretched sheets rather than into a parcel. That is the distinction from the plain layered pastry on its own page, which is made from the same dough and is never filled at all. Here one stretched translucent sheet is laid in the tin with plenty of overhang, the filling spread over it, a second sheet laid on top, and the overhang folded back over the edges to seal. The layers are still there, above and below, but the thing is a pie -- which is why it gets compared to pizza more often than to pastry.
2. THE FILLING IS COOKED AND COOLED AND DRAINED BEFORE IT GOES IN. Mince browned and cooked dry, tomato and pepper softened and any liquid driven off, everything cooled. Wet filling steams between the sheets and the layers collapse into dough; a warm filling softens the ghee and the sheets slide apart as the top is laid on.
3. THE DOUGH GETS ONE ROUND OF STRETCH-AND-FOLD, NOT TWO. There is a substantial filling to carry, so the sheets need to be a little more robust than the paper-fine layers of the plain version. One fold, rested, then stretched out to line the tin.
4. THE CHEESE GOES AGAINST BOTH SHEETS AND THE WET THINGS IN THE MIDDLE. Grated cheese spread directly on the bottom sheet and again under the top one, with the meat, tomato and pepper between. Melted cheese waterproofs the pastry against the filling's moisture, which is the difference between crisp layers and a soggy base.
5. THE OVERHANG IS FOLDED BACK AND NOT TRIMMED. Each sheet is stretched larger than the tin and the excess folded back over the top, which both seals the edge and gives a thicker, crisper rim that is the best part of it. Trimmed flush, the filling leaks and the edge burns.
6. IT IS BAKED HOT AND CUT IN WEDGES AT THE TABLE. 220°C for thirty to thirty-five minutes to a deep gold. Cut hot, straight from the tin.
7. The flour and salt mixed with the warm water to a soft dough. Kneaded 12 MINUTES.
8. Divided in two, rolled in a little ghee, covered and RESTED 1 HOUR.
9. The onion softened, the mince browned HARD and cooked until the pan is DRY, the tomato and pepper added and any liquid driven off. Seasoned and COOLED COMPLETELY.
10. On an OILED surface, each piece STRETCHED to a translucent sheet, brushed with melted ghee, FOLDED IN FROM FOUR SIDES, and rested 20 MINUTES. ONE round only.
11. Each parcel stretched out again, larger than the tin.
12. One sheet laid in the tin with plenty of OVERHANG.
13. Half the grated cheese spread directly on it, then the cooled filling, then the sliced sausage and pastırma, then the rest of the cheese.
14. The second sheet laid on and the OVERHANG FOLDED BACK over the top to seal. Not trimmed.
15. Brushed with ghee and baked at 220°C for 30 to 35 MINUTES, to a deep gold.
16. TESTED: the base should be crisp and the layers distinguishable. A soggy base means a wet filling or no cheese against the sheet.
17. Cut in wedges and eaten hot.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Egypt · All recipes