Lamb Pita Sandwiches

Source: The Best International Recipe Cookbook p.428

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro or mint leaves
• 1 small garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
• salt
• cayenne pepper
• 4 8″ pita breads
• ½ medium onion, chopped coarse (about ½ cup)
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 2 tsps)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 large tomatoes, sliced thin
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

Method

1. For the sauce, combine the yogurt, cilantro, and garlic in a small bowl; season with salt and cayenne to taste and set aside. (The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

2. For the sandwich, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim the top quarter off of each piece of pita, reserving the trimmed pieces, then stack the pitas and tightly wrap them with foil. Tear the reserved pita trimmings into ½″ pieces; you should have about ¾ cup.

3. Process the torn pita pieces, onion, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper together in a food processor to a smooth, uniform paste, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl, add the lamb and cilantro and mix until uniform. Divide mixture into 12 equal pieces (¼ cup each) and roll them into balls. Gently flatten the balls into round disks, about ½″ thick and 2½″ in diameter.

4. Place the foil-wrapped pitas directly on the oven rack and heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 12″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the patties and cook until well browned and crusty, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the patties, reduce the heat to medium and cook until well browned and crusty on the second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the patties to a paper towel-lined plate.

5. Spread ¼ cup sauce inside the warm pitas. Divide the patties evenly among the pitas and top with the tomato slices and shredded lettuce. Serve, passing the remaining sauce at the table.

Notes

I made the whole batch of lamb but because there is just one of me I froze all but three patties for later use. I also made the sauce ahead of time so assembly was easy and fast, and I was ready to eat this quickly.

Cutting the top ¼ off the pita and stuffing everything in from the top is a great idea. Much less messy and you can get more stuff inside, always a good thing! I also heated a pita in a pan on the stove instead of heating the oven for one puny pita. It worked perfectly.