Lahm ib'ajeen (meat tarts)

These beauties are arabic mini meat pizzas that every middle easterner absolutely loves. I've always wanted to learn them and I've decided to make them today! I've had 2 weeks off for xmas break so I've been using up this opportunity to learn to cook the things I've always loved and I'm sure my husband will love.

Meat Tarts - LAHM BI 'AJEEN

Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened plain yoghurt (this is optional and since I didn't have any I didn't use it but my mum says it tastes better with yoghurt)

Filling:
500grams minced lamb (or beef)
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 finely chopped tomatoe
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Good with a summer salad, these pastries may be prepared ahead of time, stored in a deep freeze, and reheated until piping hot in the oven.

Prepare pastry by sifting flour with salt. Add the yeast and olive oil. Stir in the water gradually until the dough can hold itself but too soggy (might not be exactly 1 cup of water). Knead until smooth, adding more water if necessary to make dough easy to handle. Let stand an hour covered with a damp cloth. Divide pastry into portions the size of an egg. Pat each with the hands, or roll out on a board until round and pastry-thin.

While the dough is rising, make the filling by adding some oil to a pan, when hot enough add the onions until slightly golden. Add the meat and pepper. Once the meat has lost its pink color you can start adding in the tomatoe paste first, the chopped tomatoe and salt to taste. I like adding in my own flavors to it which included some garlic flakes, a little bit of tomatoe sauce for more color and flavor, nandos sauce, hot sauce and some paprika. It's good to experiment with these things, I would have also added in some capsicum and parsley but I didn't have any at the time. Leave the filling to simmer and mash up the tomatoes until they are soft enough to disappear into the sauce.

Place a spoonful of filling on each pastry. Bake in hot oven until meat is browned and pastry is crisp and golden. Serve hot. (Can be frozen and reheated later)