Fatayer / M.R. 4

There's a restaurant in the Coventry neighborhood of Cleveland Heights called Tommy's, that has the most amazing sandwich called the M.R. 4 -- they would take a fatayer (spinach pie) from Aladdin's Bakery and doctor it up with falafel and banana and tahini sauce.  It was this gorgeous mix of savory, sweet doughy deliciousness.

I haven't lived in Cleveland Heights for nearly 20 years, but I still miss this dish.  So I decided to try to recreate it tonight. 

Start with a pizza-like dough recipe -- I used this one from Dede's Mediterannean blog, which was great but could have used a longer second rising than I had time for. While the dough is rising the first time (and the second time, after dividing into 8 portions) make the filling.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 5 oz baby greens
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs butter
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 oz feta cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 slightly green banana
• 1 tsp tahini

Preparation:

1. Saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter until the mushrooms start to express their juices
2. Add the greens, stir and put a lid on and steam for 5-8 minutes.
3. Put the mixture into a colander to cool and drain.
4. When it has drained, put the mixture into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

I watched the video of Dede making fatayer to learn how to fill the pies -- it's worth a watch.

I baked the pies at 400 F for 8 minutes, brushed with olive oil, then baked for another 10 minutes.

I will definitely do this again!  I think the kids would even love them without the cayenne pepper.