Grilled Mediterranean Kebabs On Pita Food

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN KEBABS

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 of all ingredients for the marinade in small bowl. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over it. Marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• Mix the other HALF of the ingredients in the same bowl pour into a ziplock bag with the vegetables. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.
• If you are using wood skewers, while the chicken and veggies are marinating, soak the skewers in water for about 15 minutes. You need to soak wooden skewers in water for about 20- 30 minutes to keep them from igniting right there on the grill. I have also noticed that it's much easier to slide out the meat and veggies on your plate if the skewers have been soaked before grilling.
• Thread the chicken and peppers and onions on the skewers. I usually place about 5-6 chicken pieces and a combo of peppers and onion in between.
• Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray the grates lightly with oil and grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the center is no longer pink.
• You can also bake this Mediterranean chicken skewers in the oven if you want to. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place chicken skewers on roasting racks over two foil-lined baking sheets and bake for about 10-15 minutes, turn over once and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes on the other side, or until they are baked through.

GRILLED PITA

Steps:

• Whisk 2 1/2 cups flour and the yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the water and mix using a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. The dough should be a little sticky, but soft and able to hold its shape. Add up to 1/2 cup more flour, if needed. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until it's soft, smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer and knead until the dough becomes soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough might be just a little sticky and that's okay.
• Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place in a draft-free area, such as a turned-off oven, until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
• Gently deflate the dough by pressing it down with your hands. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and gently flatten. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a cast-iron griddle on an outdoor grill and heat it to medium high (450 degrees F) with the lid closed. Alternatively, you can use a large cast-iron skillet.
• Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out 1 piece of dough into a round about 1/4-inch thick, flipping the dough a few times to prevent it from sticking. Meanwhile, keep the remaining pieces of dough covered with a kitchen towel. Transfer the rolled-out pitas to a baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining dough, stacking the rounds with a flour-dusted piece of parchment or wax paper between each round to prevent them from sticking.
• Brush the griddle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle a little water on a rolled-out pita and place it on the griddle. You can cook 2 pitas at a time on a grill pan and 1 pita at a time on a cast-iron skillet. Close the grill and cook until there are small light brown spots on the pita, about 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Some of the pitas will puff up as they cook. Transfer to a platter and cover with a clean towel to prevent them from drying out. Repeat with the remaining rolled-out pitas. (It shouldn't be necessary to re-oil the griddle if it is well-seasoned.) Serve warm.

GRILLED KOFTA KEBABS

Steps:

• For the kofta: Place 16 to 20 wooden skewers in a container of water and press down to make sure they're fully submerged, then soak for at least 1 hour.
• Grate the onion into a large bowl. Tear the bread into pieces and add it to the grated onion. Add the milk and mix to make sure that the bread is fully soaked. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Discard any excess liquid in the bowl (if there is any). Add the beef and lamb and mix into the bread mixture with your hands. Add the parsley, allspice, cumin, paprika, salt, sumac, cinnamon, coriander, black pepper and garlic and mix to combine until the ingredients are well incorporated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• For the yogurt sauce: Mix the yogurt with the lemon juice, salt, garlic and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl until smooth and combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
• Divide the meat mixture into 16 to 20 pieces and roll each piece into a cylinder. Press a skewer into each cylinder and shape the mixture around the skewer, making it about 1 inch thick. Place the skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the kofta until nicely grill-marked and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve with the yogurt sauce, warm pita, tomatoes, parsley and onions.

GRILLED MEDITERRANEAN KEBABS ON PITA

Steps:

• If using bamboo skewers, soak them submerged in warm water for 30 minutes to one hour before using.
• Combine ingredients for kebabs in a mixing bowl and stir thoroughly or use hands to mix until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
• Prepare grill.
• Oil your hands and make meatballs (koftas) or, if you prefer, torpedo shapes about 6-inches long and place these on prepared skewers (about 3 koftas per skewer) and set them onto waxed paper while finishing the others.
• When all skewers are prepared, grill them over moderately hot coals (may also use broiler or oven, but will lose the char-grilled flavor), until cooked through, turning once.
• Prepare sandwich by warming pita or lavash and placing three (4 if necessary) koftas on the bread or one torpedo, plus some of the tzatziki.
• Sprinkle heavily with the parsley, add some feta cheese, some chopped tomato, a light sprinkling of minced onion, a few pinches of za'atar and cayenne (if you like it spicy, but the za'atar gives a nice flavor!) (Or you may use whatever toppings you prefer).
• Roll up the bread without tearing it, wrap gently with foil or plastic wrap, and serve (I like to serve this with Greek Salad recipe#26384, and some fresh fruit, but lots of Greek and/or Middle Eastern recipes would go great with this!).