Asabih B'Lahmeh, Meat-Filled Finger Rolls
Asabih B' Lahmeh
As a girl growing up in a Middle Eastern household, my Sitto’s kitchen was always filled with delicious aromas and busy meal preparations. Many times, I can remember her working dough for Kahek, sometimes for pastries, sometimes savory and paper thin with phyllo.
I've posted before about the versatility of Phyllo (Filo) dough. In talking with newer cooks and bakers, I’ve found that phyllo dough is often mentioned with trepidation. I tell them, not to worry! It's one of the most "forgiving" of doughs and not to let it get the best of them. If it tears, patch it while you are working with it. The oven bake will cover any mistakes and it will bake up crispy and golden in any case.
The other great part of this dough is that you can fill it with anything else you think your family would enjoy like these Meat-Filled Finger Rolls. They happen to be one of my secret appetizers! I prepare them when I have some time and then freeze them. They're then ready to pull-out and bake as a first course for special dinners, impromptu barbeques or as nibbles for drop-in friends. This wonderfully crunchy bite called Asabih B' Lahmeh in Arabic, is filled with a mixture of ground lamb, Datah spice, onions, tomatoes and pine nuts. Sitto's Tamarind Syrup, her Dibis, give this mixture the kick that is pure Aleppo!