Ingredients
2 1/2 c. fine bulgur
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 medium Spanish onions
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. allspice
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. neutral oil, such as canola
2 lb. ground beef
2 medium Spanish onions. diced
1 tsp. allspice
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. toasted pine nuts (optional)
Preparation
Step 1Make crust: Soak bulgur fully so that it is submerged in water with an inch of water from the top for about 30 minutes. Grate the onions, or grind them in a food processor so that it becomes almost an onion paste. Step 2After the bulger is soaked, you will want to strain out any excess water, although there shouldn’t be too much. Take the soaked bulgur, raw beef, grated/processed onion (with the onion juices), oil, allspice, & kosher salt, and mix well by hand or using the flat beater on your mixer. Mix until the mixture becomes pink and slightly sticky. Step 3Make filling: Sauté onions in neutral oil until they are translucent. Add ground beef, sautè and break down so that they are in small pieces. Turn heat to medium-low heat so that you don’t lose the fat of the meat, and let the mixture simmer. Add salt, allspice, toasted pine nuts, if using, and stir. Once it is nicely cooked and combined, transfer to a container and let the mixture cool. Step 4Preheat oven to 350°. To assemble: In a 12 in” round baking pan, or a glass baking dish, layer half of the crust on the bottom about 1 inch thick. Pour the filling on top. Take the rest of the crust mixture and start slowly spreading it on top of the filling quarter by quarter. Once it’s assembled, take a small paring knife and make 8 long lines in the top of the crust, about an inch apart. Turn the pan about a quarter clockwise and make lines through the existing ones to create a diamond pattern. This is something that takes a bit of practice, and is in no way crucial to the flavor or outcome of the bake. Step 5Bake the saniyeh covered with parchment and tin foil for 45 minutes. Uncover and drizzle with a little neutral oil and bake for another 30 minutes, or until brown and crispy.
Once cooked, I like to cool the filling completely so that the fat solidifies and stays a part of the filling, otherwise the filling can be dry. You can always make the filling ahead of time to make sure it has time to cool. When assembling the top layer of the crust, sometimes I flatten the dough out into a large flat circle so that it becomes easier to form the top layer. Have you tried this yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!
