Lebanese fatayer with ground meat — the Levantine triangular pastries

Fatayer is one of the most beloved pastries of Levantine cuisine — soft triangles of dough filled with spiced ground meat, onion and pine nuts, baked in the oven until golden. They are served warm as a meze or a light meal, accompanied by yogurt or a green salad.

Ingredients

For the dough:
500 g flour
7 g dry yeast (1 packet)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
60 ml olive oil
250 ml lukewarm water

For the filling:
400 g ground meat (beef or lamb)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
50 g pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

Activate the yeast: mix the yeast with the sugar and the lukewarm water and leave for 10 minutes until it foams.

Knead the dough: in a large bowl mix the flour with the salt, add the yeast mixture and the olive oil and knead for 8–10 minutes until you get a soft, elastic dough. Cover it and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it doubles in volume.

Prepare the filling: sauté the onion in olive oil until softened, add the ground meat and sauté until it browns. Add the pine nuts, salt, pepper, cinnamon and lemon juice; mix and leave to cool completely.

Divide the dough into 12–14 balls and roll each one out into a circle about 3 mm thick.

Place 1–2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each circle. Fold two sides toward the center and then the third side up, pressing the edges well with your fingers — this is how the classic fatayer triangle is formed.

Arrange the pastries on a tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 15–20 minutes, until golden.

Serve warm, with natural yogurt or a green salad.

Preparation time: about 30 minutes + 1 hour for the dough to rise. Baking time: 15–20 minutes. Makes 12–14 pastries (4–6 people).