WEEKNIGHT MEAL
Pita bread pockets are stuffed with turkey, cheese for savory twist on French toast.
Serves 2 to 4
Fill half-moons of the pocket bread with Parmesan and a quick DIY mix of seasoned ground turkey, add an optional layer of greens or sweet peppers, and then dip each stuffed pita in an egg-milk batter and cook it like French toast. A savory breakfast for dinner (or late-night “drunk food”) is yours.
Serve with your favorite salsa or roasted tomato halves.
Loosely based on a recipe from Nigella Lawson’ s“At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking” (Flatiron Books, 2018).
For the ground turkey 1 pound ground turkey
(light or dark meat) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed Leaves from 3 stems fresh thyme (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme) 1 teaspoon celery seed 1/2 teaspoon dehydrated
onion flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground
cayenne pepper
For the pitas
One 2-ounce chunk Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2 large eggs 1 cup half-and-half Freshly ground black pepper 2 whole-wheat pita breads (6-inch rounds) Fresh salad greens or frozen/defrosted spinach (optional) Sweet peppers (optional) For the ground turkey:
Combine the ground turkey, salt, the 3/4 teaspoon of black pepper, thyme leaves, celery seed, onion flakes and cayenne pepper in a mixing bowl; use your clean hands to blend well.
Divide into 4 equal portions, then shape each one into a flat patty that will fit inside a half-moon pita.
Grease a nonstick skillet with cooking oil spray and place over medium heat. Clean the mixing bowl.
Arrange the patties in the hot skillet; cook for 9 to 11 minutes total, turning them as needed. The patties should be browned and just cooked through (firm to the touch, 165 degrees at the center using an instant-read thermometer). Transfer to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
While they are cooking, prepare the pitas:
Grate the cheese onto a cutting board. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half and a pinch of the black pepper in the clean mixing bowl.
Cut each pita in half, forming two half-moons. Open each one along the cut side and fill with a good pinch of the cheese, then a cooked turkey patty, more of the cheese and the greens or peppers, if desired.
Use paper towel to wipe out the skillet you used for the turkey; re-grease with cooking oil spray; place over medium heat.
Working with one stuffed pita at a time, hold the cut side closed as you dip the pita into the egg mixture; tip to drain slightly and then place in the hot skillet.
Cook for a total of 6 minutes, turning to cook both sides, until golden brown and you can see that some of the cheese has melted. Some of the egg mixture may ooze out into the pan; use your fingers (careful!) to press the stuffed pitas down; use a spatula to push it back into the pitas as they cook. (It’s just softly scrambled eggs.) Feel free to cook up the remaining egg mixture afterward, in the same pan, or discard the mixture.
Cut each pita in half, for easy eating. Serve hot. Nutrition | Ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis.