Meat-Filled Pita Pockets, Arayes 

Meat-Filled Pita Pockets (Arayes) 

Makes: 8–10 arayes 

Arayes Ingredients

• 3 lbs / 1.4kg ground beef

• 1 pack pita bread

• 2 bunches parsley

• 4 garlic cloves

• ½ white onion

• 2 jalapeños

• 3 tbsp ground cumin

• 3 tbsp sumac

• 2 tbsp Aleppo pepper

• 4 tbsp paprika

• 3 tbsp salt

• 3 tbsp black pepper

• 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• Chilli oil (optional, for colour)

Za'atar Yogurt Sauce

• ½ cup yogurt

• 5 tbsp za'atar

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 tbsp salt

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 3 tbsp avocado oil

• ¼ cup water (to thin, optional)

Instructions

1. Add the parsley, garlic, onion, and jalapeños to a food processor and blend until finely chopped.

2. Using a paper towel, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the blended mixture.

3. Add to the ground beef along with all the spices and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly until everything is fully combined.

4. Open each pita and stuff the meat mixture generously inside, pressing it flat so it fills the whole pocket evenly.

5. Heat a pan or griddle to high heat. Sear the stuffed pitas on all sides for about 2 minutes per side until golden and charred, using a little chilli oil for extra colour if desired.

6. Once cooked through, rub the outside with melted butter, garlic, and parsley.

7. Mix all the sauce ingredients together until smooth. Serve the arayes hot alongside the za'atar yogurt sauce.

Nutrition (per araye, est.): ~380 cal | 28g protein | 18g fat | 24g carbs | 2g fibre