Lamb And Tahini Stuffed Pita Wedges Recipes

LAMB PITAS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown lamb in batches. Transfer lamb to a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker, reserving drippings in skillet., In drippings, saute onion over medium heat until tender, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in wine, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano and basil. Add to lamb. Cook, covered, on low until lamb is tender, 6-8 hours., To serve, dice enough cucumber to measure 1 cup; thinly slice remaining cucumber. Combine diced cucumber with yogurt and remaining salt. Fill pita halves with lamb mixture, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and yogurt mixture. Freeze option: Freeze cooled lamb mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little broth or water if necessary.

LAMB PITA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Add the coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of salt to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the spice mixture to the lamb stew meat and use tongs to coat the meat in the spices. Set aside.
• Heat an electric pressure cooker to the sauté setting and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pot. Once the oil is shimmering, add the stew meat in batches, being sure not to overcrowd the pot. Brown the meat on all sides, about 4 minutes, then remove to a plate. Add an additional tablespoon of oil, if needed, before adding another batch of meat. Once all the meat has been browned and removed from the pot, add the red wine to deglaze, stirring and scraping the bottom to release any brown bits stuck to the base of the pot. Once the alcohol smell has burned off, 1 to 2 minutes, add the canned diced tomatoes and the browned meat. Stir to combine.
• Place the lid on the pressure cooker and seal. Set to high pressure according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once at high pressure cook for 15 minutes then allow the pressure cooker to naturally release for 10 minutes before manually venting the rest.
• While the lamb cooks, add the fresh chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion, parsley, dill, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to a medium bowl. Toss to combine and set aside until ready to assemble.
• To assemble, slice each pita in half and open to create a pocket. Slather each side of the pocket with hummus, then add in a few pieces of romaine lettuce, covering the hummus. Next add a few spoonfuls of the cucumber-onion mixture and top with a few pieces of cooked lamb. Continue the process with the remaining ingredients.

PITAS STUFFED WITH LAMB BURGERS AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Wash, trim, seed and chop peppers.
• Heat nonstick pan large enough to hold peppers and burgers until it is very hot; reduce heat to medium high, and add oil. Add peppers, and saute until they begin to soften.
• Meanwhile, chop onion finely, and mince garlic; chop fresh thyme leaves; pit the olives, and chop. Combine with lamb, pepper and bread crumbs, and shape into 4 patties. Add lamb burgers in between the peppers, and saute on both sides until they are pink in the middle.
• Slice about an inch off the top of the pitas, and heat two of them in the toaster oven until they are hot but not crisp, just a couple of minutes.
• Wash, trim and slice tomatoes; wash, trim and chop scallions.
• When peppers are cooked and burgers are done, stuff each pita with a burger, a quarter of the tomatoes and scallions, and some of the peppers. Serve the remaining peppers on the side.
• Toast the remaining two pitas, and repeat the stuffing process.

LAMB PATTIES WITH FRIED ONIONS AND TAHINI-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Put lamb in a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt, some black pepper, the cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, scallions, cilantro, mint and garlic. Mix well with wet hands, kneading the mixture to distribute seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the seasoning penetrates. (Alternatively, season meat and refrigerate overnight.)
• Make the sauce: In a small bowl, put tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne. Stir well to dissolve the tahini. Then stir in yogurt, and mix well. Taste and add salt, to taste.
• Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. When oil is wavy, add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are crisp and well browned, edging toward burned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Lower heat if browning too quickly. Add a little more oil, if pan looks dry. Season lightly with salt. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Light a charcoal grill for a medium hot bed of coals. (Alternatively, use a medium-hot gas or electric grill, a cast-iron pan or griddle, or a broiler.)
• With wet hands, knead lamb mixture once more, then form into 4 (8-ounce) oval patties (or 6 5-ounce patties), about 1-inch thick. Set aside until the fire is ready. Place the grill about 1 inch from the coals.
• Cook patties about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, 130 degrees. After flipping, cook until red juices appear on the top of the patties. For medium, 140 degrees, cook longer, about 5 minutes per side. In either case, let them rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes before serving, to keep in juices. They will continue cooking a bit as they rest.
• Top each burger with fried onions. Serve with tahini-yogurt sauce and warm pita, if desired.

LAMB AND TAHINI-STUFFED PITA WEDGES

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent. Add lamb, increase heat to medium-high; sauté until lamb is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add next 6 ingredients. Cook until mixture begins to thicken, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Mix in parsley and mint. Cook until thick, about 3 minutes longer. Season lamb filling with salt and pepper. Insert small knife into edge of 1 pita; cut halfway around bread. Open bread. Spread ½ cup lamb filling in bread, then 1 tbsp tahini. Close bread. Repeat with remaining pitas, lamb, and tahini. Brush both sides of filled breads with oil. Preheat oven to 250°. Place baking sheet in oven. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add 1 filled bread to skillet. Sauté until filling is heated through and bread is golden, about 5 minutes per side. place on sheet in oven. Repeat with remaining pitas. Cut into wedges.