Meat pies are traditionally little triangles. The classic Arab filling is called tatbila. In Turkey, where these are called börek, they use the thicker kind of fillo pastry for them. If your sheets are too thin and look likely to tear, use 2 strips together and brush with melted butter or oil in between.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 20
Ingredients
For the Meat Filling
Preparation
Step 1
For the filling, fry the onion in the oil till golden. Add the meat and fry lightly, crushing it with a fork and turning it over, until it changes color, adding salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir in the pine nuts.
Step 2
Take out the sheets of fillo only when you are ready to use them, as they dry out. Cut the sheets into 4 rectangles each, about 12 by 4 inches wide, and put them in a pile on top of each other. Brush the top strip lightly with melted butter or oil. Take a heaping teaspoon of filling and place it at one of the 4-inch (or shortest) ends of the strip of fillo, 1 1/4 inch from the edge (1). Fold the end over the filling. Now pick up a corner and fold diagonally making a triangle (2). Continue to fold until the whole strip has been folded into a triangular packet (3), making sure that you close any holes as you fold so that the filling does not ooze out.
Step 3
Place the little packets on a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with oil or melted butter. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
Variations
Step 4
Instead of oil or butter, you can brush the tops with egg yolk mixed with a drop of water before baking.
Step 5
A Moroccan filling is without pine nuts and adds 1/4 teaspoon ginger, a pinch of cayenne, 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and 2 raw eggs to bind the meat. Deep-fry the pies in about 1/2 inch not-too-hot oil until golden, turning over once. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot, dusted with a little confectioners’ sugar or cinnamon.
