Move over, avocado toast

Try other options for open-faced sandwiches Grilled pita toasts with lamb, tomatoes and feta

food snob that I am.)

Crusty, toasted bread also makes lunch better. They know this to be true at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. There, perfectly toasted country bread holds cheese, bechamel sauce, turkey, ham or fromage blanc for a perfect croque monsieur sandwich. I order the mushroom version every time I visit.

Recently, a visit to Hardware restaurant in North Aurora, Ill., made me think about how good grilled bread tastes. Smoke from a hardwood fire complements bread beautifully. The restaurant’s flatbread, grilled over hot embers, proves the perfect vehicle for a topping of hummus, cucumber, feta and micro-arugula from its greenhouses.

For a weekend lunch, I grill pita breads and top them with hummus and sauteed ground lamb and feta. Look for pitas without pockets — they tend to be thicker with a softer inside that’ll stay moist over direct heat. No grill? Simply toast the breads over the gas burner or on a dry griddle, then finish in a hot oven.

Serve your open-faced sandwiches with a sharp knife, fork and a big glass of red wine. Open the Sunday paper. Lunch never looked better. Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Za’atar is a Middle Eastern seasoning blend found in the spice section of large supermarkets. You can substitute a mixture of thyme, marjoram and oregano. The sumac bush, native to the Middle East, has a berry that is used dried and ground to add a lemony flavor. Look for the spice blend and the sumac at The Spice House online. Ground beef (85/15 fat), ground turkey (not just turkey breast) or ground pork tastes good here too. pound ground lamb small or half of a medium red onion, finely chopped, well rinsed, drained cup chopped cherry tomatoes (or drained canned tomatoes) tablespoon pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar teaspoons za’atar seasoning cloves garlic, crushed teaspoon salt thick pitas, about 6 inches round Olive oil cup hummus cup crumbled feta or salted farmers cheese cup chopped fresh cilantro teaspoons chopped fresh mint, optional cup finely chopped seedless cucumber cup shredded romaine lettuce Ground sumac, optional Sesame seeds Balsamic glaze Makes: 4 servings Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add lamb and two-thirds of the onion. Cook, stirring often and breaking meat apart into small clumps, until meat is golden, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, za’atar seasoning, garlic and salt; cook and stir, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Heat a gas grill to medium, or prepare a charcoal grill, and heat until coals are covered in gray ash. Put pitas directly over heat source to toast them lightly on both sides, about 1 minute depending on heat of the grill. (Alternatively, toast pitas directly over a gas burner or in a toaster or toaster oven.) Put pitas onto a baking sheet and brush one side with oil. Spread each with a generous tablespoon of the hummus. Top each with one-quarter of the lamb mixture, spreading to cover the pita but leaving ½-inch edge all around. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons feta. Set on the grill rack away from the heat source; cover the grill, and cook until everything is hot and cheese is softened, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, bake on a baking sheet or preheated pizza stone in a 425-degree oven, 8 to 10 minutes.) Put 1 hot pita onto each plate. Sprinkle the pita and the plate with some of the remaining onion, cilantro, mint, cucumber and shredded romaine. Sprinkle everything and the plate with sumac and sesame seeds. Drizzle balsamic glaze over everything. Serve right away. 507 calories, 25 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 91 mg cholesterol, 40 g carbohydrates, 7 g sugar, 30 g protein, 1,001 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

E. JASON WAMBSGANS/CHICAGO TRIBUNE; SHANNON KINSELLA/FOOD STYLING Try using pita bread as a base for an open-faced sandwich, with toppings like tomatoes, onion feta cheese and ground lamb.