These beef Fatayer look like nothing you’ve ever eaten. Serve these at your Halloween party this year, and impress your family and friends with these creepy but delicious Lebanese meat pies!
Mix half a cup of warm milk with sugar and yeast. Wait 10 minutes for yeast to double in size.
Once the yeast has foamed and doubled in size, add salt, and half of the flour. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the vegetable oil, rest of the milk and flour. Higher the speed and let knead until the dough comes together.
Remove the dough from the mixer and form a ball using excess flour. Place the dough back in the ball and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm area for about 1 hour to rise.
Once the dough has doubled in size, form into 6 small dough balls using excess flour. Cover with kitchen towel for another 30 min to rise again.
Meat Filling
While the dough is rising, prepare the meat filling. Sauté the ground beef on medium heat for about 5 minutes until all the water has evaporated.
Finely chop the onion. Add the vegetable oil and chopped onions to the meat. Saute for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the 7 spices, salt, black pepper, and pine nuts and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using some vegetable oil and a pastry brush, brush the inside of the skull moldings to prevent the dough from sticking.
Roll out the dough thin, about 1/8 inch thickness. Place the dough over the first molding and gently let down the dough on all sides into the molding and press into the skull shape evenly.
Place about 3 tablespoons of the meat filling inside the dough. Bring the bottom and top of the dough together to the middle and pinch the seams. Bring the sides together and cut off all the excess dough, leaving only enough to close the seams. Pinch the seams together tightly. Repeat until you fill all 6 skulls.
Using the excess dough, form 2 more dough balls. Using the remaining beef mixture, make 2 more skulls.
Whisk the egg and use the pastry brush to brush the top. Bake for 22 minutes (give or take) until golden brown.
Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the molds, they should come out pretty easily! Serve hot or at room temperature.