Arayes

This was actually the recipe that sent me down the rabbit hole leading to gozleme.  Somewhat related, these use store-bought pitas and you don't pre-cook the meat, so they're faster to make.  I'm basing my recipe on the one on RecipeTin Eats.  I think she got 5 pitas' worth because 500g of meat is more than a pound.  Not a lot more, but enough that I could fill four pitas and the meat layer was still thin enough to cook properly.

When I was making the meat mixture, it looked like way too many spices.  A tablespoon of cumin and coriander?  Since I don't keep ground coriander, I used the mortar on coriander and cumin seeds.  I could have run them through the spice grinder, but I kind of wanted the seedy crunch.  It turned out to be flavorful, but not overwhelming.  I could still taste the lamb as the primary flavor.

You don't have to use lamb.  85/15 or 90/10 beef will work well in this.  I was wanting lamb.  I would caution against ground poultry or pork, just in case the meat comes out slightly rare.

The yogurt tahini sauce for this is very nice, but I kind of didn't feel like it needed it.  Maybe if you put the cayenne in and needed something to cut it.  I'm not even listing cayenne in my ingredients.  I really liked this as a mild dish and would hate to overpower the meat with too much heat.

4 pitas
1 lb ground lamb or 85/15 ground beef
*1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb parsley flakes
1 Tb ground coriander
1 Tb ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp kosher salt
olive oil for brushing

For the sauce:

1 C plain Greek yogurt
2 Tb tahini
1 Tb lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1.  In a bowl, combine meat, onion, garlic, and spices.  Divide into 8 portions.

2.  Start heating a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.  Cut pitas in half and gently open them.

3.  Flatten each meat portion and gently place inside a half pita.  Spread out the meat evenly to fill the whole inside with a thin layer.

4.  When the pitas are filled, brush both sides lightly with olive oil.  Place as many as will fit comfortably on the skillet and prep a baking sheet to keep them warm in a 175º oven.  Cook about 2-3 minutes, until the pita is well browned.  Flip and cook the other side another few minutes.  Remove arayes to the oven sheet and start on the next batch.

5.  While the batches are cooking, make the sauce.  Whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.

6.  Serve arayes hot, with a generous dollop of yogurt sauce.

Makes 8, four generous servings

Difficulty rating  :)