SYRIAN MEAT PIE RECIPES

Steps:

• Divide dough into small balls and roll to 1/8 inch thick. The rounds should be 3-4 inches wide. Let dough rest 20-30 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large pot, brown pine nuts in butter until golden brown being careful not to let burn. Remove from nuts from pan but leave any remaining butter.
• Add ground meat, onions, salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice to the pan and cook until meat is browned - about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in toasted pine nuts, yogurt and lemon juice. Let mixture cool slightly.
• Place 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each round. (A stainless steel scoop is great for this step.)
• To begin folding the dough into a triangle, bring the bottom third up over the meat then bring another third of the dough to the first fold and pinch together to form a tight seal.
• Fold the final third over and pinch with the first two thirds of the dough to create a tightly pinched triangle. Repeat until you run out of dough.
• Place filled triangles on a greased baking sheet (or one lined with a silicone baking sheet) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
• Remove from oven and lightly brush with melted clarified butter.
• Serve with plain yogurt.

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef and ground lamb, chopped onion, pine nuts, cinnamon, and salt and black pepper. Cook and stir until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease.
• Stir in the lemon juice; taste and adjust the seasonings, and let the meat mixture cool.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
• Roll out the thawed pastry sheets to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a sharp 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out at least 9 rounds per sheet. Lightly brush the inside edges with a little water, and place about 2 teaspoons of filling into the middle of each round. Fold the pastry round in half to cover the filling and seal the edges well. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough circles.
• Brush each pie with a little egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.