Fall in love with arayes
The silhouette of a bride and groom locked in a tender embrace is undeniably romantic. Interestingly enough, people in the Arab world somehow felt that same romantic connection while eating grilled meat and pita sandwiches — so much so, they named this popular sandwich arayes, which means “bride and groom” in Arabic. Whatever you call it, it’s delicious. Arayes pita sandwiches are ubiquitous in street stalls across the Middle East, where pita bread is stuffed with a thin layer of seasoned ground meat, brushed with olive oil and then cooked on a grill until crispy on the outside, yet tender on the inside.
But why the name? The dish’s colors — the white of the pita bread and the dark hues of the meat — are rather like a bridal gown and a tuxedo locked in a sandwich embrace. Or perhaps it’s simply a marriage of deliciousness.
The meat filling is basically kofta, or ground meat seasoned with onions, garlic, herbs and spices. The sprightly blend of fresh parsley and allspice, sometimes with a hint of pomegranate molasses, adds freshness and a subtle sweetness to the hearty meat. You’ll maximize the crispness of the sandwich if you use the thinnest variety of pita bread available.
This Levantine delicacy is surprisingly easy to make. My parents would make a large batch and pack them with us on camping trips, where the sandwiches would reach the sizzle of the grill within hours of arrival. I remember thinking I’d struck gold when my mother packed these sandwiches, wrapped in foil, for my school lunches. If you need condiments for your sandwich, arayes pair well with hummus or lemony tzatziki for dipping.
Arayes
INGREDIENTS
1⁄3 bunch parsley
1 clove garlic
½ small onion
1 pound ground lamb or ground beef (or a combination of both) Salt to taste
½ teaspoon lemon pepper
1 rounded teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, optional
1 package white or wheat pita bread
Olive oil for brushing
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Whirl the garlic, parsley and onion in a food processor until chopped but not soupy. By hand, gently incorporate the vegetable mix with the ground meat, salt, lemon pepper, allspice and optional pomegranate molasses until well combined.
Cut each pita in half and open up each pocket so they are ready for filling.
Take a golf-ball-size portion of the meat mixture and use your hands to flatten the meat to approximately ¼-inch thick. Shape the meat to fit inside the pita pockets. When finished filling the entire batch, brush both sides of the pitas with olive oil, and place them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet(s).
Roast for 5 minutes, then turn each sandwich over and bake for another 5 minutes or more, until the pita is nice and golden brown on the outside and the meat is cooked through. (You can cook these sandwiches on a grill, if you prefer. Just make sure you don’t skip the step of brushing olive oil on the bread, or they will stick to the grill.) Cut into triangles and serve with hummus, tzatziki or the condiments of your choice.
Bay Area food writer Blanche Shaheen is the author of “Feast in the Middle East, a Personal Journey of Family and Cuisine.” Follow her Feast in the Middle East cooking series on YouTube, and her food blog at www.feastinthemiddleeast.com.