Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post
This take on arayes, the Middle Eastern, meat-stuffed crispy pitas, has a generous helping of chopped artichokes to make them lighter and to cut through the richness of the ground lamb. They are seasoned with earthy spices and herbs, and served with a lemony yogurt-feta dip. What a tasty and healthy way to satisfy a burger craving!
Storage:
Refrigerate the arayes and sauce separately for up to 3 days. Gently reheat the arayes in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-low heat. Or warm them in a preheated 350-degree air fryer until warmed through.
Lamb and Artichoke Arayes With Yogurt-Feta Dip
Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, divided
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (any fat level)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from the same lemon)
1/4 medium yellow onion (2 ounces total)
2 garlic cloves
1 cup canned or jarred artichoke hearts (not marinated; from one 9.9-ounce jar), drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces ground lamb, preferably lean
4 whole-wheat pitas with pockets
4 teaspoons olive oil
Directions:
Finely chop enough of the parsley leaves to get 1 tablespoon. Set aside the remaining parsley. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, feta, water, lemon zest and juice, and the finely chopped parsley until well combined. You should have about 3/4 cup dipping sauce.
In a food processor, pulse together the onion and garlic until roughly chopped. Use a clean kitchen towel to pat the artichokes as dry as possible, then add them to the food processor. Add the remaining parsley, the mint, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, and pulse until everything is finely chopped.
Transfer the artichoke mixture to a medium bowl. Add the lamb, and use your hands to combine the meat with the artichoke mixture. Do not overmix.
Cut each pita in half to form 2 pockets. Fill each pocket with about 1/4 cup of the lamb mixture, spreading it out into an even layer inside the pita. Brush the outside of each pita half on both sides with the oil.
Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Working in batches, place as many of the filled pitas as can fit in the pan in a single layer, and cook until the bottoms are browned and crisp, about 3 minutes.
Flip, and continue cooking until the bottoms are browned and crisp, and the filling is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Adjust the heat as needed if the arayes are browning too quickly. Transfer to a platter or sheet pan, and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining arayes.
Serve warm, with the sauce, for dipping.
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 2 arayes and about 3 tablespoons of sauce
Per serving
Calories 385; Total Fat 15 g (Sat Fat 5 g); Protein 24 g; Carb 44 g; Fiber 7 g; Cholesterol 42 mg; Sodium 559 mg; Total Sugar 3 g (including 0 g added sugar)
