Spinach Fatayer

Delicate triangular pastries pinched shut around a filling of wilted spinach, sumac, onion, and lemon — sold hot from mountain village bakeries and eaten in one or two bites at any hour of the day.

Ingredients

• 500 grams plain flour
• 7 grams (1 packet) instant yeast
• 300 ml warm water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (for dough)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt (for dough)
• 600 grams fresh spinach
• 2 large, finely diced yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons ground sumac
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (for filling)
• 1 teaspoon salt (for filling)
• 40 grams toasted pine nuts

Method

1. Make the dough: dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour, salt, and olive oil. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise 1 hour.
2. Make the filling: finely chop spinach. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and massage for 2 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible — the filling must be dry or it will leak and tear the pastry.
3. Combine squeezed spinach with diced onion, sumac, lemon juice, olive oil, and pine nuts. Taste — it should be notably tart from the sumac.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Punch down dough and divide into 24 equal balls. Roll each ball to a 10 cm circle on a lightly floured surface.
5. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle. Do not overfill.
6. To form the triangle: bring three edges of the circle up and pinch them firmly together at the top center, then press each seam closed all the way down. The result should be a sealed triangular pouch.
7. Place on oiled baking trays, brush tops with olive oil, and bake for 18–22 minutes until golden.
8. Serve warm. They reheat beautifully at 180°C for 5 minutes the next day.

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