Arayes: Crispy Pita Stuffed with Levantine Kafta

La storia di questo piatto

Arayes is Levantine street food in its most honest form: a thin pocket of pita wrapped around spiced lamb or veal kafta, flecked with parsley and warmed by cumin, sumac and a whisper of cinnamon. It belongs to the world of shared bread and quick, generous meals eaten with your hands.

Ingredienti

• 500 g Ground lamb or veal
• 8 pieces Thin pocket pita (Levantine bread)
• 45 g Fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 medium White onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 40 g Toasted pine nuts (optional)
• 1.5 teaspoons Ground cumin
• 0.5 teaspoons Ground Aleppo pepper or allspice
• 1 teaspoon Sumac
• 0.25 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Fine salt
• 4 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 piece Fresh lemon
• 200 g Plain Greek yogurt, to serve

Preparazione

1. Finely dice the onion and garlic with a sharp knife until you have small, uniform pieces. Squeeze half a lemon into a bowl and set aside the other whole lemon, which will be cut into wedges for serving: the lemon juice enhances the spiced flavors of the kafta; its cohesion comes from working the meat and letting it rest in the fridge.
2. Place 500 g of ground meat in a large bowl and add the chopped onion and garlic, 45 g of very finely chopped parsley, 40 g of toasted pine nuts, 1.5 teaspoons of cumin, 0.5 teaspoons of Aleppo pepper (or allspice), 1 teaspoon of sumac, 0.25 teaspoons of cinnamon, the juice of half a lemon and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix with your hands for 1-2 minutes, just long enough to combine without packing too tightly: prolonged working would make the meat rubbery.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the kafta filling for at least 1 hour (ideally 2 hours). The cold firms up the mixture and makes it easier to handle: cold kafta won't fall apart on the grill.
4. Divide the filling (about 770 g) into 8 equal portions of about 95 g each and shape each portion into a flat, oblong patty with cold, damp hands. Open the pocket of each pita (or stack two thin discs), spread the kafta evenly inside, pressing it into a thin layer to the edges, and seal by gently pressing the margins together with wet fingers: the kafta must stay well contained during cooking.
5. Heat a grill or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until the iron gives off a light smoke. Cook in two batches, 4 arayes at a time, so the grill isn't crowded. Lightly brush both sides with extra virgin olive oil, lay the arayes on the grill and cook 3-4 minutes without moving them, until dark char marks appear and the bread is crisp; flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. To check doneness, cut one araye in half: the center should be greyish-brown, not pink.
6. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges. Transfer the freshly grilled arayes to a serving plate and let them rest for 2 minutes: the residual heat finishes cooking the kafta. Serve immediately, still hot, with the lemon wedges, lightly salted plain Greek yogurt and a handful of raw parsley: the contrast between crispy pita, spiced kafta and the acidic freshness of yogurt and lemon is the hallmark of this street food.