The Best Spinach Pies!

Ingredients

• Pie dough:
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups liquid milk, or less depending on the flour
• 2 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Filling:
• spinach, chopped, washed, and drained
• salt
• onion, chopped
• 1 tomato
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• pomegranate molasses
• paprika
• a pinch of seven-spice blend
• hot chili powder - optional
• Method for the dough:
• This special pie recipe is from the friend and chef of the Shou Tabkhin Today website:
• Wotfa Rahhal
• Click on her name for more of her wonderful recipes
• For more pastries from Wotfa, here is Homemade Pizza Dough
• Also from Wotfa, here is how to make Beehive Bread

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients... then add the butter at room temperature and rub it into the mixture
2. Add the liquid milk and knead gradually
3. Finally, add the oil and bring the dough together
4. Let it rest for 1 hour
   Timers: 60 min
5. Prepare the filling.... After soaking the spinach in water with salt or vinegar, then washing it very well several times to get rid of all the sand... chop it and drain it well
6. Add salt on top and let it sit for a little while so the extra moisture is released by the salt
7. Squeeze the spinach very well
8. Add the finely chopped onion to the spinach, along with the chopped tomato, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, and spices, and mix
9. After a little while... drain the filling from any excess liquid before starting to fill the dough
10. By now, the dough should have risen... divide it into two or three portions... roll them out with a rolling pin and let them rest for an extra 10 minutes
    Timers: 10 min
11. Cut the dough into medium circles using a metal round cutter, a glass, or a cup
12. Place the dough circles on a cloth
13. Fill the circles with the filling and seal them as desired, or shape them into triangles
14. Place the pies on an upper baking tray lined with parchment paper or greased with oil
15. Brush the tops with oil as well
16. Bake them in a hot oven, heated from both the top and bottom, at 200°C
17. When they are golden on both sides, remove them from the oven and cover them with a cloth to keep them soft
18. Serve the spinach pies hot or cold, at room temperature