Arabic Filled Pastries

Name: Arabic Filled Pastries (Sambusaks)
Yield: Makes about 3 dozen pastries
Cuisine: Syrian
Ingredients: ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, or 2 tablespoons dried mint; ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, or 2 tablespoons dried mint; 2 eggs; 1 pound feta cheese, mashed or crumbled; 4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ cup warm water; ½ cup olive oil; canola oil for deep-frying (optional); 6 tablespoons sesame seeds; 1 egg, lightly beaten; freshly ground white pepper to taste; ½ cup (1 stick) margarine, or unsalted butter for cheese pastries; ½ cup (1 stick) margarine, or unsalted butter for cheese pastries; ½ cup (1 stick) margarine, or unsalted butter for cheese pastries

Sambusaks

Preparation info

Makes about
3 dozen
pastries

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Saffron Shores

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2002

About

Savory filled pastries are a holiday staple of the Iraqi, Syrian, and Egyptian Jews. These little semicircular turnovers, whose name is of Persian origin, may be filled with cheese or meat. Those filled with cheese can have a butter-based crust, but meat-filled sambusaks use margarine or oil in the dough.

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) margarine, or unsalted butter for cheese pastries
½ cup

Asia
Pastry
Mediterranean
Vegetarian

Method

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine or butter over low heat but do not let it bubble. Remove from heat and add the oil, water, and salt. Transfer to a food processor and pulse once to combine. Gradually add the flour, pulsing after each addition. The dough will be very soft and should not stick to the sides of the bowl. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll