Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
Dough
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1½ cups plus 2 Tablespoons flour
Filling
½ pound ground beef or lamb (lamb is most traditional)
1 onion, chopped very fine
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2–4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted; used to drizzle on just before putting in oven
Yogurt Sauce
2 cups or more plain greek yogurt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
Broth
3 Cans beef or chicken broth
2 Tablespoons ketchup
Splash of Tabasco sauce
Garnish
1 yellow onion chopped
2–4 Tablespoons butter
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a food processor, combine egg, water, salt, and butter. Process it until well mixed. Add the flour and process it until the mixture forms a ball. If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour. When the dough is done it should feel like your earlobe.
2. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board and knead a bit (about a minute) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rest while you are making the filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Combine the meat, onion, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until well-blended.
5. First picture the end result in your mind: The manti will look like little fat canoes with a ball of meat in them.
6. On a lightly floured board, roll out half the dough at a time to form a 9-inch square about 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough into 1½ inch squares.
7. Take a baby spoon and fill about ½ teaspoon filling on each square. Then pinch the two opposite ends tightly. It should look like a little boat with the meat inside. As each manti is formed put it meat side up in a greased jelly roll pan. They can be close together, but not touching. Drizzle 2-4 tablespoons of the melted butter over the manti.
8. Bake them at 350 for about 35 minutes. Start checking them after 25 minutes. The dough should be brown, but the bottoms should not be burned. Cool them on the pan.
9. While the manti bake, carmelize the onions for the garnish, if desired. Just sauté the onions in the butter over medium to low heat until they are nice and browned and a bit crispy. (This takes time.)
10. Make the Yogurt Sauce by mixing the ingredients together.
11. Warm the broth ingredients together.
To serve:
The manti are good just on their own, but can be served in a bowl with the broth and the garlic yogurt and topped with the crispy onions. Some like more broth, others only a little bit. Try it different ways and see which way you prefer it.
Recipe from kidworldcitizen.org
