Mediterranean Pizza Meat Pies, known as Sfeeha, are a fast rising flatbread dough with sautéed meat, veggies and topped with feta cheese.
Food Network and Valerie Bertinelli
A winning twist on this traditional dish was made on Food Network by two of my children and myself.
Valerie Bertinelli, Antonia Lofaso, Tori Spelling and Michael Voltaggio were wowed by son Tomio Daumit, with his sister Leah Van Buren.
Sfeeha
Made with a flatbread dough, either wheat or spelt, cooked open with a minced meat filling, spices, spinach and cheese.
Sfeeha, sometimes known as Fatayer, were served at nearly every gathering in my home as a child.
My Syrian mom had many girlfriends from other Mediterranean countries.
Cooking together was just something they got together to do.
These meat pies would have been a dish they made when together, lots of them, froze them so they always had a stash for an unexpected visitor, which happened often.
Traditional Mediterranean Meat Pies
These traditional meat pies would have been made with minced lamb or goat meat, both meats are perfect for sfeehas.
Often they were shaped, crimped edges, and open; though some home cooks would fold the dough completely over and bake them closed.
Here in America, lamb is not loved by everyone, and so a substitute of beef, pork or even ground turkey would make for a delicious Sfeeha.
Sfeeha Meat Pies Are The Perfect Size Pizza For Kids
Imagine the popularity your kids would have if they were to take these healthy, delicious meat pies to school!
Hot out of the oven, they can be quickly folded over and served like a calzone.
At least the teacher would have their eye on the yummy lunch your child brings to school.
I can’t think of a better dish to make in advance for football weekend gatherings! Pop them in the oven, serve them hot though they taste almost as good sitting out for hours.
Meat Pizza Pie Dough
Not everyone is comfortable working with bread dough, even though my dough recipes are easy.
I say go ahead and cheat a little, rather than do without!
Many markets now sell pizza/bread dough in the refrigerator section, needing only the second rising and then bake.
Homemade Pizza Dough vs Store Bought
As much as I prefer homemade pizza dough, many of the store bought dough will work pretty well.
I know because I myself have cheated in a hurry and used them as well.
While I am not an affiliate with Trader Joe’s, I have loved their whole wheat and white dough, wrapped in a little ball and often in the section where cheeses and cold cuts are sold.
If you’re really in a pinch for time, you could use pita bread, a good quality pita bread.
Simply layer the filling on top, crumble a good quality feta and warm just long enough to reheat the filling, since everything is already cooked.
Meat Pie Pans
A variety of pans can be used to shape these pies, though a free-form pie works too. I have used mini pizza pans, tart pans, even the wide-mouth lids (inverted), from Mason jars work perfectly for small (3-bite), size pies.
Sfeeha For Television
Oh Do I Have A Story For YOU!
The Television Show You Will Never See but the scoop is here!
Many of you know I have been featured on several Food Network cooking shows. Well, on this occasion they asked for two of my family members to cook with me.
Family Food Showdown, with Valerie Bertinelli. Our family The Daumit Family, competed against the Pineda Family. The full story can be read in the link.
The Excitement Of Cooking For TV
Long story short, in each round, a family member was booted off.
First round we had to choose who would go from our kitchen, second round the opposite team got to choose who would leave our kitchen and the third round was to take one family over the finish line, one on one.
My son Tomio was left standing in our kitchen to go it alone and face off against the wife of restaurant owner Pineda.
The challenge was to combine pork and apples in a dish.
Since the production of this show, there have been several others I have had the pleasure to compete (actually I just have fun), on.
Recently, and my first series, was The Great American Recipe on PBS, but there have been others, all a blast to do!
Pizza Dough Sfeehas
Tomio, a foodie like the rest of our family, quick grabbed the pizza dough from the fridge and made individual Sfeehas for each of the judges and for Valerie.
He sautéed the pork, with spices, and finely chopped apples, a little heat, and spread the filling over the dough, sprinkled with feta cheese and they went straight into the oven.
Crazy Tomio went for a second dish to serve with the Sfeeha!
Fast sautéed bacon to sprinkle over an arugula and apple salad, drizzled with a homemade honey, lemon, mustard and olive oil dressing.
Meat pies out of the oven. Honey drizzled over the meat pies to balance their chili heat.
Plated beautifully, while his sister and I were screaming and yelling on the side. Served the dishes to Michael Voltaggio, Antonia Lofaso and Tori Spelling.
Sfeeha – The Winning Dish!
YES! Tomio brought his family over the finish line while mama (me), burst into tears. Yes, we are a kookie, foodie family.
Yes, pork makes for a fabulous Sfeeha, maybe not Mediterranean.
However, the concept was presented to my children when they were little just as it had been for me when I was little.
Traditional foods… are like that!
Ingredients Needed
- Dough
- Ground lamb
- Potato
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Tomato paste
- Zucchini
- Feta
- Salt
- Aleppo pepper
- Fresh oregano
Equipment Needed
- Saute pan
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Mini pie pans – my favorite pans are the one selection below and I use them for so many recipes.
- Cooking spoon
- Rolling pin
- Stovetop or burner
- Oven
Mediterranean Pizza Meat Pies – Sfeeha
Equipment
- 4 Mini Pizza pans
- Rolling Pin
- Saute pan
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough homemade or store bought
- 1 lb Ground lamb
- 1 Potato peeled and cut into tiny squares
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 Zucchini small, cut into thin rounds
- 1/2 lb Feta or cheese of choice
- Salt
- 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 3 Fresh oregano sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400
- Divide the dough into 4 balls, roll out the dough and shape into mini pie, tart or pizza plates. The lids (inverted), from wide Mason jars can be used also.
- In a frying pan, drizzle the olive oil and potato squares and sauté for a minute.
- Place the crushed garlic, ground lamb, salt, lemon juice, tomato paste and Aleppo pepper in the pan along with the potatoes and stir until the meat is brown on all sides.
- Divide the filling and place on top of the dough. Spread it out to the edges. Lay the zucchini rounds on top of the meat filling, tear a few oregano leaves and place on top of the zucchini. Add the feta in rough cubes.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the dough crust is golden. Serve
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.