One summer, we were visiting my great aunt and uncle in London, and we stumbled upon a humble Lebanese restaurant. My dad ordered a dish called arayes, having sampled it himself in Lebanon. We gobbled it down so fast that my dad immediately ordered another round! It’s such a simple dish, yet that simplicity is where the genius is at; the fat in the beef blooms the spices and aromatics so every bite is so flavorful, and as the fat releases from the meat, it crisps up the pitas to a truly delightful texture. In my take on the dish, I decided to add a little mozzarella cheese, but feel free to make them without.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 16 appetizer portions (32 arayes) |
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (80% lean)
- 1 cup finely minced fresh parsley (about 1 bunch)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 teaspoon baharat or garam masala
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about half a lemon)
- 1 small tomato, diced finely
- 1/2 large white onion, finely minced (about 1 cup)
- 4 fluffy pitas
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Sumac, for sprinkling
- One 16-ounce block whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella, grated coarsely
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the meat, parsley, pine nuts, salt, masala, garlic, lemon zest and juice, tomato and onion with your hands until well-combined.
- Cut the pitas into quarters. Arrange on 2 baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some sumac and salt. Fill each pita quarter with 3 to 4 tablespoons meat mixture, flattening it out so that the filling is even. Add a small handful of mozzarella to the top of the meat mixture of each.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pans once halfway through, until the pitas are browned and crispy. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 222 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 43 mg |
| Sodium | 230 mg |