In the fridge I had Greek Pita, some veggies, cilantro, locally made “Karam’s Middle-Eastern Specialty Tahini Garlic Sauce”* and ground beef. I also have an awesome spice collection. IRON CHEF! GO!
THE MEAT
- 1/2 lb ground beef (80/20 chuck)
- Healthy pinch of salt
- half a dozen grinds of black pepper
- 1/4 white onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
Mix this up with your hands and set it aside while you prepare THE SALAD, but also make sure to prep these items below to use later:
- 1/4 onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry pan
- 1 medium to small Anaheim chile diced
- 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
Heat olive oil in a skillet till shimmering. Drop in your finely diced onion and sauté until it all begins to get translucent & slightly golden. Mix in the ground beef mixture. Cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon to keep the beef broken up. When the meat looks cooked through, stir in the pine nuts. When things start to brown, stir in the Anaheim chile and cilantro, remove from heat. You want to maintain the crunch of the peppers, and the bright, fresh hit of cilantro. Season with salt to taste.
THE SALAD
- 1/2 large cucumber, large dice
- 1/3 red onion, very thinly sliced
- 2 small tomatoes, large dice
- splash of olive oil
- splash of champaign vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
THE FINISH
- Warm 4 fluffy, Greek style pitas in the oven or microwave.
- Set up your pitas as if you are making tacos (the Greek pita I’ve found do not break well into pockets, but I prefer the flavor and texture to Middle-Eastern pita). Squeeze on some Tahini Garlic Sauce (I found Karam’s, a local Seattle brand. I recommend, buy your favorite tahini dressing, and add garlic)
- Spoon meat mixture evenly amongst the pitas
- Squeeze on more of that awesome sauce
- Either eat the salad separate, or spoon it into your pita
ENJOY!
xo
en
*In searching for a link to insert for that Garlic Sauce because I thought they deserved publicity, I discovered the restaurant that is behind it just closed a couple of months ago 🙁 They will be making the sauces still, but I’m sad I won’t get a chance to visit it’s home-base.