Turkey Feteer Recipe

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 40 minutes 
Total time: 12 hours

INGREDIENTS

for the dough: 
4 cups|510 grams all-purpose flour
2 cups|500 ml warm water
¾ teaspoon kosher salt 
½ cup|125 ml olive oil, divided 

for the spicy turkey filling: 
1 ¼ cups|325 ml olive oil, divided 
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced 
1 ½ pounds|680 grams ground turkey
1 ½ tablespoons ground fennel 
1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika 
3 teaspoons chili flakes 
1 ½ teaspoons salt 
⅓ cup|86 grams tomato paste 
1 ½ cups|375 ml chicken stock 
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed 

to assemble: 
1 batch Feteer dough, divided into 4 balls 
¼ cup|60 grams unsalted butter
3 teaspoons olive oil 

DIRECTIONS 

1. Make the dough: Combine the flour, water, and salt in a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough on a medium speed for 12 to 15 minutes. The dough should form a ball and clean the sides of the mixing bowl, meaning that the gluten has been activated and the dough is strong. 
2. Grease a baking sheet with ¼ cup|60 ml of the olive oil. Divide the dough into 4 balls and place on the oiled sheet. Top the dough balls with the remaining ¼ cup|60 ml of olive oil. Cover and allow to rest at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight in the fridge. 
3. Make the turkey filling by heating 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, stirring regularly for 5 to 6 minutes. Then add the turkey and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for another minute, stirring so that all of the ground meat can break up and begin to cook. Add the fennel, smoked paprika, chili flakes, and salt and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, still stirring regularly. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute, followed by the stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Break up all of the meat and allow the liquid to cook away. Finish by turning off the heat and swirling in the cold butter. 
4. Transfer the meat mixture to a food processor and blitz a few times. You’re not trying to make a meat puree; you’re just making the consistency of the whole mixture easier to spread on the feteer dough. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and whisk in the remaining olive oil. 
5. To assemble, flatten out a ball of the feteer dough by gently pressing it against your work surface, as if you’re carefully flattening out a ball of pizza dough. With your fingers, coax the dough from the edges to become thinner and thinner. You should be left with a wide, thin, circular piece of dough. 
6. Remix the turkey and oil mixture if need be, then spread a quarter of the mixture in the center of the dough with a spatula. Fold one side into the middle of the dough, then repeat in a circular motion until all of the sides have reached the center. The dough will form a wheel shape, enclosing the meat filling.
7. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the feteer, folded side up and cook for 3 minutes, until the bottom is nicely browned. Flip and cook for another minute or so, then transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining feteers, adding more butter and oil as needed. Transfer the sheet pan of feteers to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove, cut into quarters, and enjoy!  2 tablespoons|20 grams

Excerpted from Eat, Habibi, Eat! Fresh Recipes for Modern Egyptian Cooking by Shahir Massoud Copyright © 2021 Shahir Massoud. Photography by Kyla Zanardi. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.