Arayes (Meat Stuffed Pitas)
Ingredients
1 pound 85%-90% lean ground beef
1 teaspoon baharat seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup fresh parsley- leaves and fine stems finely chopped
1 medium-sized onion
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 pitas about 4 to 6 inches diameter
Tahini Garlic Sauce Ingredients: (optional)
½ cup tahini paste
4 garlic cloves minced
1 lemon juiced and zested ⅓ to ¼ cup
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup water may not use all of it
Directions
In a large bowl, add ground beef, baharat, salt and parsley.
Grate the onions, and squeeze out the excess juice. Add to the mixing bowl.
Using your hands (use disposable gloves if desired), combine the ingredients until evenly blended. At this point, you can cover the mixture and refrigerate for several hours until you are ready to cook.
Cut each pita in half, and gently open the pockets.
Scoop up about a ¼-cup of ground meat mixture, and stuff it into a half pita. Gently press down the pita to spread the meat evenly. Continue doing this with the rest of the pita halves.
To cook on the stove, heat your pan over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is hot, place two pita halves in the hot pan. Cook until bread is browned and crispy, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until crispy and the meat is cooked through. *See notes for other cooking methods.
Serve warm with tahini dipping sauce. For an entree, serve 2 pita halves per person. For an appetizer, cut each pita half in half again making quarters. Serve a platter of arranged pita quarters with a bowl of dipping sauce.
Tahini dipping sauce:
In a small bowl combine the tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to desired taste.
Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until smooth. You want enough water to make the sauce pourable but not too watery where it doesn’t coat whatever you are dipping.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Store leftover sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
