Early Thanksgiving Appetizers – Spiced Lamb-Stuffed Fatayer

Every year we host Early Thanksgiving for our friends a few weeks before the traditional holiday. And every year the menu has a pattern. The main course is typical, as it is with most families, with few major variations from year to year. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing (or corn pudding in my case), cranberries. The big decisions are green beans or Brussels sprouts, and carrots, butternut squash, or sweet potatoes, all traditionally prepared. I learned long ago that wide variations in the main meal are not looked upon favorably by our guests.

The appetizers, however, change from year to year, the only standard being a plate of crudité for all to enjoy. This is where my cooking gets to shine, in my humble opinion, and where the meal gets interesting. Our guests never know what will be in store when they walk in the door, but it’s always different and exciting.

I choose the hors d’oeuvre in a variety of ways, always aiming for six, seven, or eight different small bites. First, I need dishes that can be prepared substantially ahead of time; there’s no time when the guests arrive to put together fancy finger foods. Pulling a tray out of the oven and arranging warm appetizers on a plate is about as interactive as I can handle at show time. I also strive for variation. Some should be warm, while others are cold; a dip is always nice; something vegetarian or vegan for those who care; foods of different cultures make it noteworthy. I also make sure there are options available for those with allergies or food preferences; and while some may be rich and heavy, they have to be balanced by others that are refreshing and light.

I think and search all year for the appetizers for Early Thanksgiving, keeping a running list of candidates on my phone. Inspiration can come from magazines or social media, meals in restaurants or at friends’ homes. Some dishes I prepare exactly according to the recipe, while others get tweaked and changed for the season, availability of ingredients, or personal preference. Often, I’ll merge three or four versions of a recipe found online to meet my needs and inclinations. And of course, there are recipes I come up with entirely on my own.

The result is a varied and fresh start to a meal while we first catch up with friends, that settles into a more familiar, comfortable menu when we all sit down at our long table with plates piled high with traditional Thanksgiving fare.

This Year’s Early Thanksgiving Menu

Appetizers

Spiced Lamb-Stuffed Mini Fatayer with Labneh – recipe below

Seafood Salad

Banh Mi Bruschetta

Homemade French Onion Dip with Potato Chips

Spiced Pecans

Pesto and Sundried Tomato Twists

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Marinated Feta

Crudité

Main Meal

Roast Turkey

Roasted Turkey Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Corn Pudding

Cranberry Chutney

Miso-Glazed Carrots

Sautéed Green Beans with Fried Shallots

Spinach Salad with Roasted Squash, Toasted Walnuts, Watermelon Radish, and Pomegranate Seeds

Desserts – provided by friends

Orange Brownie Torte

Cheesecake

Apple Pie

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Salted Caramel Brownies

Spiced Lamb-Stuffed Fatayer

I first saw the recipe for these savory Lebanese pastries on an Instagram feed from America’s Test Kitchen and I knew right away they would be part of an Early Thanksgiving spread. Although I subscribe to Cook’s Illustrated magazine, since I do not pay for the America’s Test Kitchen website, I was not able to get the recipe. It’s frustrating. Therefore, I had to rely on others. Some quick internet research revealed that these hand pies are commonly filled with ground meat, spinach and cheese, or other tasty fillings. I opted to use my spiced ground lamb, which I have previously rolled into phyllo or griddled into a pita panini. The dough is based on one from the website Cardamom and Tea.

In the end, I served it with labneh, thick Middle Eastern yogurt, to dip. Since I was making mini fatayer as an appetizer, the labneh acted to moisten the pastries a bit. A larger size fatayer would have a better filling to dough ratio than these mini ones, which were just a touch dry. If you do opt to make mini fatayer, roll the dough as thin as possible, without making it so thin that it rips during the stuffing process.

about 3 hours, including time for the dough to rise, makes about 50 mini fatayer

For the dough:

1 cup slightly warm water, plus more as needed

1⅛ tsp. instant yeast (half of a packet)

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. table salt

¼ cup olive oil, plus more to coat a mixing bowl

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

For the filling:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

1½ lbs. ground lamb

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground allspice

½ cup pine nuts, toasted

For the pastries:

olive oil

flaky sea salt

Make the Dough:

1. Mix warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Stir in salt and olive oil. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Dough should be slightly wet and a tiny bit sticky. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time as needed. Knead dough until very smooth, about 10 minutes.
3. Place the dough in a large mixing bowl coated with a thin film of olive oil. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Prepare the Filling:

1. Heat olive oil on medium in a 10 to 12-inch skillet. Add onions and sauté until soft, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Remove onions to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add the ground lamb and sauté until starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Drain off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of lamb grease. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned, an additional five minutes. Stir in reserved onions and set aside to cool. Add the toasted pine nuts to the meat just before stuffing the dough.

Stuff and Bake the Fatayer:

1. Preheat oven to 400 ^oF.
2. Divide dough in two equal pieces and cover one half with a towel or plastic wrap while you proceed making the fatayer with the other half. Roll dough out to about ⅛-inch thickness (or thinner if making mini pastries). Use a round pastry cutter (choose your size – I used 2½-inch diameter for mini fatayer) to cut out circles. (Alternatively, you could form small balls of dough and roll them into circles individually.)
3. Place a spoonful of filling (how much will depend on the size of your dough circles) in the center and wet the edges of the dough slightly with your finger. Pinch one corner of the dough together and then fold the filling within making two additional corners to form a triangle. Place the pastry on a silicone baking mat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Finish stuffing the fatayer using all the filling and dough, leaving a small amount of space between each on the baking sheet to give them room to rise slightly.
4. Brush each triangle with a thin coating of olive oil and sprinkle on some flaky sea salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with labneh, or not.

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