At one end of the courtyard was the neighbourhood’s communal bread oven, (tabun). This small conical structure was made from stone rubble, and roofed either by a stone vault or wooden beams. Inside, there was a circular mud case, known as ‘the house of bread’ (beit al-‘aysh), which was placed over a shallow fuel pit. This case was approximately 70–80 cm (28–32 in) in diameter at the base, tapering to an open top of about 40 cm (16 in), and was built by women from a local yellow clay (huwwar) mixed with straw.
The oven was heated with sticks and crushed olive pits. Once the fuel was glowing, it was topped with small, smooth pebbles. The open top case was then covered by a tin sheet with a handle, and dried dung and other slow-burning materials were put around the mud hearth for additional heat. Once the proper temperature was obtained, soft dough cakes were placed over the hot non-stick pebbles and baked.
The tabun played an important role for the village women, who would sit inside its cramped interior telling jokes and exchanging news while their bread baked. The tabun therefore functioned for women as the guest-house (madafeh) did for men.
Suad Amiry and Vera Tamari, The Palestinian Village Home
The ideal finger food for receptions and a special accompaniment to pre-dinner cocktails. The word sambousek derives from the root bassa, meaning ‘he kissed’; I chose to translate it into kisses. Many homes and caterers prepare cheese sambousek with ready-made French pastry dough, practical enough and quite tasty, but not quite the real thing, especially if you are serving it with an assortment of mezze.
For the dough
400 g (14 oz) white flour
¾ tsp instant dry active yeast
1½ tsp salt
150 g (6 oz) soft butter
1¼–1½ cups warm water
For the stuffing
320 g (12 oz) semi-salted white sheep-cheese
1 egg
A small handful of fresh thyme leaves or 1 tbs dried and crushed thyme
Measure the flour, yeast and salt and mix in the butter, working it slowly into the flour. Add warm water, small amounts at a time, and work in the dough, pressing with the heels of your hands and turning until you get a soft malleable dough that is not sticky and that is easy to spread with a rolling-pin. Shape into a ball and cover, and set aside in a warm place for two hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Prepare the thyme leaves by removing them from the stem and washing them under the tap. Lay aside to dry on a kitchen towel.
Meanwhile grate the cheese or, if it is soft enough, mash it with a fork. Add the beaten egg and thyme and mix.
When the dough is ready, punch it down and divide it in two. Spread one half with a rolling-pin on your clean worktop and, using a cutter – between 5 and 7 cm (2 to 3 in) depending on how small you want your sambousek – cut circles into the dough. Pick up one circle, fill it with the cheese mixture and fold one half over the other. You can seal the edge by pressing the tip of a fork against the sides or by twisting it with the thumb and index finger starting from one end of the folded half circle to the other end. Place the sambousek on a greased baking sheet 3 cm (1¼ in) apart and leave to rest for 20 minutes before baking in a very hot oven (230° C/450° F/Gas mark 8) for 30 minutes or until the sambousek are baked golden. Serve hot, warm or cool.
Have the heart to try them fried and they are unforgettable.
This recipe makes about 40 sambousek, using a 7 cm (3 in) cutter.
Tips
You can use parsley or basil instead of thyme, to which you may add ¼ cup of finely chopped black olives. It is up to you to experiment and find out what is most agreeable to your taste.
Sfiha is a favourite in day-to-day family cooking and can be carried in a lunch box to school or to the office. It serves very well as finger food for a party or buffet dinner. Many believe that the success of sfiha lies in the dough; however, a failed stuffing can spoil even the best of dough. In the Bethlehem area, tahineh is an important component of the stuffing, which, combined with vinegar, gives it an interesting combination of nutty and acid flavours.
In the average Palestinian household, no less than a hundred sfiha are prepared at once to serve the midday meal, for extra snacks and to send at least two dozen to the closest or favourite neighbour. It is an affront to have the smell of baking emanating from one’s house and not share the end result.
For the dough
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) white flour
1 tsp instant active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
⅔ cup olive oil
1 cup unflavoured yoghurt (200 g/7 oz)
¾ cup warm water
For the stuffing
400 g (14 oz) minced beef
2 medium fresh ripe tomatoes
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1 hot pepper
1¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp allspice
⅓ cup tahineh
2 tbs white vinegar
Measure and sieve the flour in a large container, mix in the salt and the yeast and add the oil. Mix together and then add the yoghurt, mixing some more with your hands. Add the water a small quantity at a time, all the while working the dough by pressing with the heels of your hands, folding and turning; repeat the process until you obtain a smooth elastic texture. Shape the dough into a ball and leave in a warm place for two hours or so.
Grind the tomato, onion, garlic and hot pepper in a food processor and add to the meat together with the salt, pepper and allspice. In a small bowl, mix the tahineh with the vinegar until you obtain a thick smooth paste. You might need to add a tablespoonful of water if the paste is too thick. Fold this mixture in with the meat.
When the dough has risen to almost double its size, punch it down and divide it into two balls. Leave it to rest for another 30 minutes. Taking one portion at a time, roll out the dough onto a floured surface to about 1 cm thickness (½ in) and using a cutter (6–8 cm/2½–3 in diameter) cut circles into the dough. Remove the edges of dough and shape into a ball and leave to rest for later use. Put the circles of dough on to a greased baking sheet some 2 cm (1 in) apart and spoon out a generous portion of stuffing on to each, flattening it with the back of a spoon. Repeat the same process with the rest of the dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 230° C/450° F/Gas mark 8 for about 30 minutes. Remove from sheet and let cool on a rack. Serve with lettuce salad or with unflavoured yoghurt.
This recipe makes about 35 sfiha.
As with cheese sambousek, those with meat are ideal as finger food for a party, in a mezze or part of an hors d’oeuvres platter. The dough is crustier and, if you can forgo health scruples and calorie counting, they are most delicious fried.
For the dough 400 g (14 oz) white flour
¾ tsp instant dry active yeast
1¼ tsp salt
50 g (2 oz) soft butter
¼ cup olive oil
2 egg yolks
About 1 cup water
For the hashweh
400 g (14 oz) minced lean beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
¾ tsp allspice
40 g pine nuts (2 oz)
1 tbs olive oil
Measure the flour, yeast and salt, make a well in the centre and add the butter, the oil and the egg yolks. Work the ingredients gradually into the flour. Add warm water, small amounts at a time, and work in the dough, pressing with the heels of your hands and turning until you get a soft dough with a fine texture that is easy to roll out with a rolling-pin. Shape into a ball and cover, and set aside in a warm place for two hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, peel the onions and garlic and chop them separately. It is possible to crush the garlic to get it really fine. In a medium-size pan heat the oil, add the chopped onion, and fry for a few minutes on high heat stirring constantly. Add the garlic and fry some more, then add the meat and mix thoroughly. Keep on stirring the meat until it is evenly browned then mix in the salt and spices, turn it over two or three times and remove from heat.
Heat one tablespoonful of oil in a small frying pan and add the pine nuts. Fry them on a low heat until they turn golden then add them to the meat.
When the dough is ready, punch it down and divide it in two. Spread one half with a rolling-pin on your clean work table and, using a biscuit cutter measuring about 6 cm (2 in) depending on how small you want your sambousek – cut circles into the dough. Pick up one circle, fill it with one heaped teaspoon of the cooled meat stuffing and fold one half over the other. You can seal the edge by pressing the tip of a fork against the sides or by twisting it with the thumb and index finger starting from one end of the semi-circle to the other. Place the sambousek on a greased baking sheet 4 cm (1½ in) apart and leave to rest for 20 minutes before baking in a very hot oven (230°C/450°F/Gas mark 8) for 30 minutes or until the sambousek are golden. Serve with a tahineh salad, tomato salad or mafghoussa (see p.65).
The above recipe makes about 70 sambousek.
The trick in this recipe is in the preparation of the dough. The portions have to be rolled out into very thin sheets and boiled in water, one sheet at a time, for 7 to 8 minutes, then dipped in cold water for a few seconds and laid out on clean kitchen paper to dry. While dexterity is required, patience is essential in the success of this dish which is a must at every Armenian gathering.
For the pastry
4 cup flour
4 eggs ½
tsp salt
For the stuffing
About 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) slightly salted sheep‘s cheese
200 g (7 oz) soft butter
Sift the flour with the salt into a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the lightly beaten eggs. Mix the three ingredients slowly and knead the dough until it becomes smooth and soft. You might need to add some flour if you think it is too sticky; however, be sure to add just a small amount at a time in order to obtain the right texture and softness.
Divide the dough into ten small portions shaped into balls and leave to rest for one hour covered with a damp cloth.
On a floured surface, roll out each ball into a very thin sheet 35 cm/8 in diameter, which is the size of the tray you will need. Setting two sheets of dough aside, cook the remaining eight in the boiling water as indicated above, one at a time, dipping each sheet in the cold water to interrupt the cooking process. Lay them carefully on the kitchen paper to dry.
Spread one of the uncooked sheets on the greased tray and brush with butter. Add four layers of cooked dough, each time spreading the surface with the butter. Lay the cheese in thin slices over the surface and continue layering with the four cooked sheets, always alternating with butter. Lay the remaining uncooked sheet on top and again brush generously with butter.
Cook for 40 minutes in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5), or until the surface turns golden and the underside is crisp. Cut into diamonds and serve immediately.
Qras b’za’tar can be served as a variety with other breads such as kmaj, tannur, saj or shrak, as it is sometimes called. They are very similar to the focaccia served in Italian restaurants. They make a healthy snack for children to take to school. My daughter Maya enjoys varying this recipe using, in turn, rosemary, garlic, onions or cardamom with repeated success.
For the onion version, use a small chopped onion for the same amount of flour, fry it lightly in one tablespoonful of olive oil and add to the dough with the prescribed amount of olive oil. To prepare cardamom bread use green cardamom that you roast lightly in a heavy pan and crush with a pestle and mortar just before using. As cardamom has a powerful, slightly bitter taste with a hint of camphor flavour to it, it is enough to add one teaspoonful of both the husk and grains with the flour.
600 g (1 lb 6 oz) white flour
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp instant dry active yeast
½ cup fresh thyme leaves or 2 tbs dried crushed thyme
1 cup olive oil
1½–1¾ cups warm water
Measure the flour, yeast, salt and thyme in a deep bowl and mix in the oil, working it slowly into the flour mixture. Add the water, small amounts at a time, and work in the dough, kneading and turning, until you get a soft malleable dough that is not sticky, and easy to spread. Shape into a ball and cover, and set it aside for one hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
When the dough is ready, punch it down and divide it in two. Roll out one half with a rolling-pin about 1 cm (½ in) thick on your clean worktop and, using a 7 cm cutter (3 in), cut circles into the dough. Put on an ungreased baking sheet and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Bake in a hot oven (230° C/450° F/Gas mark 8) for 30 minutes. Let cool and serve immediately to accompany salads. You get about 2½ dozen qras.
Members of the Orthodox community are stricter about observing the Lenten fast than any other Christian community in Palestine. The only sweet they allow themselves is the famous farayek b’zeit, sweet buns flavoured with the unique aroma of mahlab.
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) white wheat flour
¾ tsp salt
150 g (5 oz) sugar
1½ tsp mahlab
1 tsp instant active dry yeast
¾ cup corn oil
¾ cup warm water
Measure the flour and sieve it into a large container, mix in the salt, the sugar, the powdered mahlab and the yeast and add the oil. Mix together with your fingers until the oil is totally absorbed. Add the water, a small quantity at a time, all the while working the dough by pressing with the heels of your hands, folding and turning; repeat the process until you obtain a smooth elastic texture of very soft consistency. Shape the dough into small balls and flatten them out on a greased oven tray a few centimetres apart. Leave the cakes to rest covered with a clean kitchen towel until they have doubled in size. Bake in a hot oven (230° C/450° F/ Gas mark 8) for 30 minutes.
For extra special farayek, sprinkle them with sesame seeds and brush them with egg whites beaten with a tablespoonful of water. This recipe makes about 15 cakes.
For the dough
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) white flour
½ cup olive oil
2 eggs
1 level tbs salt
1 tbs instant active dry yeast
2½ –3 cups warm water
For the stuffing
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) fresh spinach
200 g (7 oz) spring onions or 2 medium onions
2 tsp salt
4 tbs sumak
½ tsp pepper
1 cup olive oil
⅔ cup lemon juice
Pour the flour in a large glass bowl and add the salt and mix. Make a well in the centre, add the oil and the beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.
Add half a cup of the water to the mixture and leave to rest for a few minutes. Add to the flour mixture and knead until all the water is absorbed. Add more water and knead some more, pressing with the heel of your hand and turning until you get a soft uniform dough that is easy to roll. You have to keep in mind that the dough should be firm enough to hold the spinach mixture.
Divide the dough into three balls, cover and set aside until they double in size.
The preparation of the stuffing will need approximately 30 minutes. For best results, it is advisable that you proceed with it just before the dough is ready in order to avoid it getting soggy. It is also important to drain the spinach leaves upon washing; that is why you can start by washing them and letting them drain on a clean kitchen towel.
Wash the onions and chop finely. Add the salt, pepper, sumak and oil and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
On a clean wooden board, chop the spinach and place in a glass bowl to which you will add the onion dressing. Mix very well. The stuffing will be reduced to almost half.
Grease three oven trays and have them handy for the spinach ‘pockets’. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas mark 8.
On a clean worktop, sprinkle some flour; take one portion of dough, place it on the floured area and roll out carefully, making sure not to stretch the dough. The dough should be just thick enough to hold the stuffing without tearing. Divide it into circles about 6 cm in diameter. Put a piece of the dough flat on your hand and spoon some of the stuffing on top. Starting from the edge, using the thumb and index finger, seal the dough until you reach the centre. Do the same with the remaining two sides until you obtain a pocket with a triangular shape. Place on the tray. The first two or three attempts might prove difficult at first but the process of forming the triangular pockets will become easier as you go on.
Let the first tray rest for 30 minutes before you place in the oven. Proceed with the rest of the trays in the same manner. Baking time is about 30 minutes, depending on whether you prefer the pastries more or less crisp. Leave to cool on a rack and enjoy!
Tips
When you are embarking on such a project, call your friends to share the work with you; they will be more than happy to take home a few qras in return.
This recipe yields about 70 spinach breads. You can have more if you want bite-size pieces that will look really elegant at a reception or as an accompaniment for cocktails.
Spinach pockets freeze very well. All you have to do is defrost them four hours ahead at room temperature and put them to warm in a preheated oven for 5 minutes. No one can tell the difference!
