Question about middle eastern appetizer?

Question

Has anyone heard of or have a recipe for (I don't know how to spell it so I'm going to spell it phonetically) fa-ta-a-shib-ni? It's a pocket of some kind of fried white cheese.

My ex-husband is Jordanian and we used to eat it all the time at this great restaurant in Little Rock, AR.

Thanks!

Answer 1

It sounds like Tabat Jibneh and they are absolutely delicious!

TABAT JIBNEH

Makes 30-36 rolls

INGREDIENTS:

For the dough:

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (110°F)
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered whole milk
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Olive oil, for coating the bowl and the pan

For the filling:
One 5-ounce package jibneh (can also use halloumi or akawi cheese)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded on the small holes of a box grater (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or thyme leaves
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 teaspoons nigella seeds
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

METHOD:

Prepare the dough:

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl, and stir to dissolve. Set it aside until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Combine the flour, salt, and powdered milk in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the egg and vegetable oil, and give the mixture a good stir. Add the yeast mixture and mix on medium speed until the ingredients are well and fully incorporated. Then raise the speed to high and continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 3 minutes.

Coat a glass or ceramic bowl with olive oil, put the dough in the bowl, and roll it around to coat it with the oil. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Prepare the filling:

Rinse the jibneh or halloumi under cold running water; or, if you are using akawi packed in brine, submerge it in water, changing the bath three times to rid it of overly salty brine. Drain the cheese and shred it on the large holes of a box grater. Combine the halloumi, parsley, mozzarella, and oregano in a bowl, and stir to mix.

Form and bake the rolls:

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Combine the sesame and nigella seeds on a plate. Coat a 12-inch cake pan with olive oil. Fill a small bowl with the 1/4 cup olive oil. Liberally coat your hands with olive oil.
Punch the dough down. Pull off a piece about the size of a baseball and squeeze it between your thumb and index finger until a ball about the size of a walnut comes through. Separate the ball from the dough in your palm by pinching your index finger over your thumb. Flatten the ball in the palm of your hand, stretching it to fit your palm. Place one full tablespoon of the filling in the center and gather the edges around it, pinching to seal it, forming a purse shape. Dip the smooth side into the olive oil, then into the seed mixture, and place it, sealed side down, in the cake pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, arranging the rolls tightly in concentric circles, beginning with the outer ring and working your way to the center.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the rolls and bake until they are pale gold, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the rolls cool for a bit.
Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the rolls. Invert a plate over the pan, flip the plate and pan together, and remove the pan. Invert a second plate over the rolls and flip again, so the rolls are seed side up. Place the plate on the table and let your guests pull one roll at a time from the loaf.

Tabat Jibneh can be frozen uncooked, right in the pan, for up to 6 weeks. Double-wrap the pan with one layer of plastic wrap and another of heavy-duty aluminum foil. When you are ready to bake them, defrost the rolls in the refrigerator, then bake them in a preheated 425°F oven until they are pale gold, 30 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked Tabat Jibneh, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 weeks.

Answer 2

Try either, couldn't think of anything that matched what you were looking for! Good luck and enjoy!


LEBANON RAMADAN HALF MOONS

These are half moon shaped cheese filled fried pancakes. They’re traditionally eaten in Lebanon and Syria to break the Ramadan fast. Serve them hot and fresh.

PANCAKES:

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (scant)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 cup plus up to 1/4 all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Butter for cooking
Peanut or vegetable oil for frying

FILLING:

2/3 cup coarsely grated kanefa, haloumi, or ricotta salata cheese
Generous pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons sugar

In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the flour and salt and stir well. Let stand, loosely covered, to ferment for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Mix the ingredients in a bowl until you have a homogeneous mass. Set aside.

When ready to proceed, heat a small heavy skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Lightly brush the skillet with butter. Stir the batter well to blend. Scoop up about 2 1/2 Tablespoons batter and pour onto the skillet to make a 4-inch round or an oval about 4 inches long. Cook until bubbles appear on the top and the top has a matte dull surface, about 1 minute and 20 seconds. The underside will be just touched with the palest brown. Transfer to a plate cooked side down.

Scoop up 1 teaspoon filling and squeeze it in your hand into a firm oblong, then place it on the cooked pancake. Immediately fold the pancake over and pinch the edges together to make a sealed half moon shape. (The trick with atayef is to fill them while the top of the pancake is still warm so the edges stick together well.) Set aside on a plate, and repeat with the remaining batter and filling. (Once you get comfortable with the sequence of steps, you may want to have two skillets going at once, to speed production. But even with only one person and one skillet, you can get all the atayef made in a short time.)

The filled pancakes can sit, loosely covered, for up to 3 hours before being fried.

When ready to proceed, pour about 1 inch of peanut or vegetable oil into a deep fryer or stable wok or other deep frying arrangement, and heat to 375 F. Use a thermometer to check, or the following test: Stick a chopstick vertically into the hot oil. If bubbles come rising up beside it, the oil is hot enough. Have a slotted spoon by your stove top as well as two paper towel-lined plates.

Slide the first half moon into the hot oil. It should bubble a little. Then slide in another, and another. Each should cook for about 30 seconds, until lightly browned; turn each over in the oil after about 15 seconds. With the slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Fry the remaining half moons in the same manner. Serve hot or warm, with tea or coffee. Makes 12 to 15 half moon shaped pancakes.

NOTE: Kanefa and haloumi, is available in specialty stores and great for stuffing pancakes. Ricotta salata is like feta, however, and is made from fresh ricotta that has been salted and dried. It is available in supermarkets.


Sigara Boregi - Turkish Cigar Pastry


Sigara boregi is a Turkish cigar shaped pastry made with feta cheese and phyllo dough. This fried pastry is perfect with coffee, but can be eaten as an appetizer or side dish.
INGREDIENTS:
1 package of phyllo dough, thawed (8 oz)
1 lb. feta cheese
1/2 cup parsely
1 egg
olive oil for frying
half stick melted butter
PREPARATION:
In a mixing bowl, mix feta, egg, and parsley together. This is best done with a fork, mashing the feta.

Prepare oil to fry. The desired heat of the oil is 350 degrees.

While the oil is heating, remove phyllo from refrigerator.

Be sure to have a damp towel on hand to cover the phyllo you are not working with. Phyllo dough dries out quickly if left uncovered.

Take one sheet of phyllo and cut into fourths. Each piece should be about 4x8. Brush each piece with melted butter. Place about 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture at the base and roll up. Seal by adding a little melted butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo and cheese mixture.

Fry in about 2 inches of oil for 2-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Use to a sieve to remove from oil. Drain on paper towel. Serve immediately.