Spiced Beef Dürüm with Butter and Tomato Sauce (İskender Style)

La storia di questo piatto

This is a home kitchen's tribute to İskender, the Bursa classic of meat, tomato and butter, rolled into thin flatbread and made easy to carry. It borrows the spirit of Turkey's grill tradition without claiming to be the original.

Ingredienti

• 500 g Ground beef (chuck or round)
• 1 pc Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or mild sweet chili)
• 1 bunch Fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoon Fine salt (for filling, sauce and salad)
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 pc Lavaş or thin yufka flatbread
• 60 g Butter
• 150 g Thick tomato passata
• 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
• 100 g Full-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 pc Lemon (juice of half a lemon, for sauce and salad)
• 2 pc Ripe tomatoes
• 1 pc Cucumber
• 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

Preparazione

1. Grate the onion and squeeze it firmly in your hands to remove its water; finely mince the garlic until almost a paste. Add them to the bowl with the ground beef, paprika, cumin, Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Work with your hands for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture becomes compact and slightly sticky: the proteins have bound together and it won't crumble during cooking. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. With lightly dampened hands, divide the mixture into small elongated sausages (kofta style), about 2 cm wide and 8-10 cm long. Heat a wide pan over medium-high heat without adding oil, since the meat releases its own fat. Cook the sausages for 8-10 minutes in total, turning every 2-3 minutes, until well browned with a crust on every side. Transfer to a plate and, once slightly cooled, slice them into strips.
3. Drain the pan, leaving only about 1 tablespoon of the fat released by the meat; discard the rest, otherwise the sauce will be greasy. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the butter and let it melt until it stops foaming and turns a light hazelnut color with a toasted nutty aroma. Immediately stir in the tomato paste to halt the butter's cooking and mix for 30 seconds, then pour in the passata, scraping the bottom well. Simmer gently for about 8 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Taste the sauce: if it's too sweet from the tomato, adjust with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Dice the tomatoes and cucumber into small, even cubes and dress them with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the chopped parsley and the juice from the remaining half lemon.
5. Warm the lavaş for a few seconds per side over the flame or on a hot griddle, until it softens and small golden spots appear: don't let it dry out, or it will crack. Lay it flat, spread a thin layer of Greek yogurt, arrange the meat strips, the tomato and cucumber salad and finally a generous spoonful of the still-warm butter and tomato sauce.
6. Roll the lavaş tightly around the filling, keeping it compact with your hands. If you like, sear it briefly in a dry pan over medium heat to seal the seam and get a crispy crust. Cut it on the diagonal and serve immediately, hot.