Mediterranean Sirloin Pita Pockets Food

BEEF SHAWARMA RECIPE

Steps:

• In the bottom of large mixing bowl, add the shawarma spices. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and zest and juice of one lemon. Using a spoon, mix to combine.
• Using a chef's knife, cut the flap steak against the grain into thin bite-size slices (no more than ¼-inch in thickness).
• Add the sliced meat to the bowl. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Add the garlic and onions. Using a pair of tongs, toss very well to make sure the meat is well-coated with the marinade. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for a few minutes (or, if you have the time, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours).
• Heat a large cast iron grill pan or skillet over high heat. Using a pair of tongs, add the meat pieces, spreading them as much as you are able. Cook over high heat for anywhere between 8 and 15 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked. (If you like less liquid in your pan and extra char on the meat, you'll likely cook it for about 15 minutes. And if your pan is not large enough, cook the meat in batches).
• While the meat is cooking, prepare the pita pockets and fixings. Make my 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley. Make the tahini sauce. And prepare your pickled cucumbers, if using.
• Assemble the shawarma sandwiches. Open up your pita pockets and load them up with the beef shawarma, salad, and finish with a generous drizzle of tahini sauce. Serve immediately!

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup lukewarm water and stir in yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk together. Place the mixing bowl in a warm place, uncovered to form a lose sponge. Give it 15 minutes or so, the mixture should bubble.
• Now add salt, olive oil and almost all the remaining flour (keep about 1/2 cup of the flour for dusting later). Stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass (at this point, the dough has little to no gluten development and just looks like a sticky mess and you can easily pull bits off). Dust with a little flour, then knead the mixture inside the bowl for about a minute to incorporate any stray bits.
• Dust a clean working surface with just a little bit of flour. Knead lightly for a couple minutes or so until smooth. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for a couple more minutes. The dough should be a little bit moist, you can help it with a little dusting of flour, but be careful not to add too much flour.
• Clean the mixing bowl and coat it lightly with extra virgin olive oil and put the dough back in the bowl. Turn the dough a couple times in the bowl to coat with the olive oil. Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap then lay a kitchen towel over. Put the bowl in a warm place. Leave it alone for 1 hour or until the dough rises to double its size.
• Deflate the dough and place it on a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 7 to 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Cover with a towel and leave them for 10 minutes or so to rest.
• Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle that's 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. It helps to lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll so that dough doesn't stick to your counter too much. (If dough starts to stick, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour). If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get going, you can be cooking one pita while rolling another, if you like). You have two options for baking the pita from here.
• Heat the oven to 475 degrees F and place a heavy-duty baking pan or large cast iron skillet on the middle rack to heat. Working in batches, place the rolled-out pitas directly on the hot baking baking sheet (I was only able to fit 2 at a time). Bake for 2 minutes on one side, and then, using a pair of tongs, carefully turn pita over to bake for 1 minute on the other side. The pita will puff nicely and should be ready. Remove from the oven and cover the baked pitas with a clean towel while you work on the rest of the pitas.
• To cook pita on stovetop: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. (Test by adding a couple drops of water to the skillet, the skillet is ready when the beads of water sizzle immediately). Drizzle a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and wipe off any excess. Working with one pita at a time, lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until bubbles start to form. Using a spatula, flip the pita over and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita is ready when it puffs up forming a pocket (sometimes, with this method, the pita may not puff or may only form a small pocket. Try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel). Keep baked pita covered with a clean towel while you work on the rest.

MEDITERRANEAN PITA POCKET SANDWICHES

Steps:

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix sour cream, yogurt, cucumber,lemon juice, 2 minced garlic clove, feta, pepper to taste;.
• 3. Wrap pitas in foil and Place in oven; bake until warm and pliable, 5 minutes. Cut in half.
• 4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over high heat saute onion until golden brown. Add meat, oregano and remaining minced garlic; continue to saute for about 2 minutes.
• To serve first fill pitas with lettuce, followed by meat, tomatoes and cucumber sauce.

MEDITERRANEAN PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• In a small bowl mix together the yogurt, parsley, hot sauce, cumin, and salt and pepper, to taste.
• Slice the top off of each pita pocket. Fill each pocket with 2 slices of brisket, a quarter of the pickled cucumbers and drizzle with the yogurt mixture. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.

MEDITERRANEAN SIRLOIN PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• Reserve 2 Tbsp. of the dressing; set aside. Pour remaining dressing over steak; cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to marinate. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade.
• Cook and stir onions, green peppers and garlic in reserved 2 Tbsp. dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat 2 minutes. Add steak; cook and stir 5 minutes or until cooked through. Season with black pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Stir in carrots.
• Spoon evenly into pita bread halves just before serving.

MEDITERRANEAN PITA PIZZAS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat a grill on medium-low heat. Using a fork, mix together the feta, 1/3 cup warm water, 1/4 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, the lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small mixing bowl until the mixture comes together and the feta is in small chunks. Set aside.
• 2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sirloin, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until the meat is no longer pink and begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain any liquid off and set aside.
• 3. Spread the feta mixture on the pitas and top with the cooked meat. Place a large piece of nonstick foil directly onto the preheated grill. Place the pitas on the foil, cover and grill until the bottoms begin to char and the cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the sliced mint, olives, tomatoes and onions. Serve warm.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE PITAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the first six ingredients until blended; if desired, stir in cayenne. Add tomato, cucumber, onion and olives; toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving., To serve, add lettuce to vegetables; toss to combine. Spoon into pita halves; sprinkle with cheese.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• Bring a half cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add the frozen peas, bring to a boil, and simmer for 4 minutes (do not overcook); drain, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cooked peas, tomatoes, feta cheese, green onion and black pepper if desired.
• Fold in the yogurt, mayo, lemon juice and dillweed; toss well to combine.
• Line the pita halves with a leaf of lettuce or shredded lettuce if desired, and stuff with chicken mixture.
• If you are a garlic lover, then fresh garlic or garlic powder may be added to the mixture.

MEDITERRANEAN PORK AND PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• Slice the pork into 1 cm strips. Mince the ginger and garlic, mix with the lemon juice, sea salt, and ground coriander. Put in fridge for about half an hour; longer if you like.
• Slice onions and capsicums in to strips about 1/2 cm wide. Slice chilies finely and put all in a bowl for later.
• Heat oil to medium hot and add a few strips of pork and cook (in batches) until they just start to brown at the edges (about a minute). As each batch browns remove it and put in to a bowl to relax.
• Now cook the onions in remaining oil (add more oil if you need to) until the onions begin to soften and become slightly transparent. This takes about a minute, so don't overcook them as they will be cooked more later.
• Remove and mix well with the pork strips.
• Fry the capsicum and chili strips for about minute, add the roughly chopped tomatoes, and cook for about 30 seconds on high heat.
• Now add the pork and onions to this mixture, add Tabasco, and bring back to full heat.
• Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you need to. You can also add more Tabasco if you like it hotter. Garnish with a little chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) if you wish. Keep the dish warm while you do the Pitas.
• Heat pitas and slice open on one side.
• Serve the pork mixture in a bowl and let each person stuff their own pita. If it is anything like our house you will be checking how many each person has had! I can never make enough of this dish.