The Esfiha is a savory pie inspired by the Middle Eastern Sfiha. It can be topped with all sorts of different ingredients.
Ingredients
Dough
- 700g all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon water
- ½ teaspoon milk
- ½ teaspoon oil
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
Meat topping
- 500 g ground beef
- 1 onion
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- Parsley and basil
- Salt and pepper
Cheese topping
- 300g ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons chives
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- Salt
Mise en place
For the dough
- Bring the water and milk to room temperature before using them.
For the meat topping
- Mince the onion, tomato and garlic cloves.
For the cheese topping
- Finely chop the chives.
Directions
For the dough
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Combine the yeast, sugar, water, milk, salt, and oil in a large bowl.
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Mix until the yeast dissolves throughout.
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Gradually add half of the flour using a sieve, constantly mixing with a spatula.
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Add the egg to the mixture along with the rest of the flour.
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Mix the dough with your hands, kneading it until it’s smooth and homogenous.
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Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
For the meat topping
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Sauté the onion and garlic with oil over medium-high heat until the onion gets translucent.
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Lower the heat to medium and add the tomato and ground beef, cooking the ground beef until it’s well cooked and dry.
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Season with parsley and basil.
Make sure the ground beef is dry before assembling the esfiha.
For the cheese topping
- Mix the ricotta cheese, heavy cream, chives and salt into a bowl, mixing the baking powder at the end.
Assembling
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Preheat oven to 350 °F / 180 °C.
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Spread the dough with a rolling pin.
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Cut the dough into small circles using the rim of a glass.
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Add the topping to the circle dough like a small pizza, carefully curling the crust inwards.
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Brush the egg yolk on the crust before setting the esfihas on a tray.
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Bring the esfihas into the oven for 30 minutes.