Suad Mohammed and her husband Mahmud Fathalla show how to make arayes (pies stuffed with spiced meat).
Mahmud, now retired, had a job teaching veterinary medicine at Massey University and Suad taught Arabic and Middle Eastern cooking in evening classes.
They had lived in the United States and Canada where Mahmud studied in the 1960s before returning to Iraq.
When they came to New Zealand in 1996, they had to leave their belongings behind as they could bring only a small bag.
One of their sons and his Kiwi wife live in Auckland, and the other in Switzerland with his Swiss wife, Mahmud says.
Arayes comes from the word for ''brides''. Suad says she grew up with this recipe for little meat-filled pies and doesn't remember whether it came from her mother or grandmother.
They can be made large or small and you can use whatever vegetables and spices you like.
They are eaten as a snack or to take for lunch and are tasty and healthy, she says.
You can use pita breads or bought pastry, but she prefers to make her own dough.
Ingredients
Dough
½ cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 sachet instant yeast
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
¼ cup salad oil
¾ cup warm water
Filling
1 Tbsp oil1 onion, finely chopped
200g minced meat (or chicken boiled and cut into pieces)
1 cup chopped mushrooms
½ cup chopped capsicum
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tsp ground coriander
a dash of ground nutmeg, cumin and turmeric (to taste)
salt to taste
2 tomatoes cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped or grated feta cheese
1 lightly beaten egg to glaze
Yoghurt sauce
1 cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
a dash of salt
1 clove garlic, grated
1 Tbsp finely chopped mint
Method
To make the dough
Add the sugar to ½ cup warm water and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast, and leave for a few moments. Put the flour and salt in a bowl.
Make a well in the centre and add oil, ¾ cup warm water and the yeast mix. Combine with your hands and knead until it becomes a smooth, soft, pliable dough. If it is too thick, add more water and if too soft, add more flour.
Oil your hands with about 1 teaspoon of oil and rub it all over the dough, then put the bowl of dough in a plastic bag in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.
To make the filling
Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring from time to time until browning at the edges. Then add the mince and stir, frying on high heat until it browns. Add the spices as you desire, then add the capsicum and mushrooms. Cook until they are softened. Add the parsley at the end so it stays green. Allow to cool.
Chop the tomato finely and grate the cheese.
Preheat oven to 200degC.
When the dough has risen and the filling is cool, roll out the dough thinly. If the dough is the right consistency and well oiled, you won't need to flour the bench or rolling pin, although you can if it makes rolling easier. Cut into rounds. Suad uses a pot lid to make large pies, but you can make any size you like.
She takes each round and rolls it thinner, cuts it again with the lid, then puts a spoonful of meat filling in the centre, tops it with tomato and grated feta, folds up the sides and pinches them together a bit like a Cornish pasty.
Put the arayes on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with lightly beaten egg. Cook for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
Eat hot or cold with yoghurt sauce.
To make the yoghurt sauce
Mix all the ingredients together, cover and chill until required.
Tips
• If you use instant yeast you don't need to leave it for 10 minutes to sponge.
• In winter she warms the flour in the microwave for 30 seconds before adding the other ingredients.
• In Iraq they used a lot of salt but in New Zealand people use less, she said.
• You can use whatever vegetables you like and whatever spices take your fancy. Some people like to add garlic and coriander but Suad doesn't like them.
• To grate the garlic for the yoghurt sauce easily, cover the smallest holes on the grater with cling film and grate through it. Remove the cling film and the garlic can easily be tipped into the mix.
• Arayes freeze well.
• Thanks to Afife Harris and Centre City New World.