Greek Pita Pockets Recipes

GREEK PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except bread.
• Spoon about 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture into each pita bread half.

GREEK BEEF PITAS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, breaking up beef into crumbles; drain. Stir in oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt., In a small bowl, mix yogurt, tomato, cucumber, dill and remaining salt. Spoon 3/4 cup beef mixture over each pita bread; top with 3 tablespoons yogurt sauce. If desired, top with additional tomatoes and cucumbers. Serve with remaining yogurt sauce.

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup lukewarm water and stir in yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk together. Place the mixing bowl in a warm place, uncovered to form a lose sponge. Give it 15 minutes or so, the mixture should bubble.
• Now add salt, olive oil and almost all the remaining flour (keep about 1/2 cup of the flour for dusting later). Stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass (at this point, the dough has little to no gluten development and just looks like a sticky mess and you can easily pull bits off). Dust with a little flour, then knead the mixture inside the bowl for about a minute to incorporate any stray bits.
• Dust a clean working surface with just a little bit of flour. Knead lightly for a couple minutes or so until smooth. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for a couple more minutes. The dough should be a little bit moist, you can help it with a little dusting of flour, but be careful not to add too much flour.
• Clean the mixing bowl and coat it lightly with extra virgin olive oil and put the dough back in the bowl. Turn the dough a couple times in the bowl to coat with the olive oil. Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap then lay a kitchen towel over. Put the bowl in a warm place. Leave it alone for 1 hour or until the dough rises to double its size.
• Deflate the dough and place it on a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 7 to 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Cover with a towel and leave them for 10 minutes or so to rest.
• Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle that's 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. It helps to lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll so that dough doesn't stick to your counter too much. (If dough starts to stick, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour). If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get going, you can be cooking one pita while rolling another, if you like). You have two options for baking the pita from here.
• Heat the oven to 475 degrees F and place a heavy-duty baking pan or large cast iron skillet on the middle rack to heat. Working in batches, place the rolled-out pitas directly on the hot baking baking sheet (I was only able to fit 2 at a time). Bake for 2 minutes on one side, and then, using a pair of tongs, carefully turn pita over to bake for 1 minute on the other side. The pita will puff nicely and should be ready. Remove from the oven and cover the baked pitas with a clean towel while you work on the rest of the pitas.
• To cook pita on stovetop: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. (Test by adding a couple drops of water to the skillet, the skillet is ready when the beads of water sizzle immediately). Drizzle a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and wipe off any excess. Working with one pita at a time, lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until bubbles start to form. Using a spatula, flip the pita over and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita is ready when it puffs up forming a pocket (sometimes, with this method, the pita may not puff or may only form a small pocket. Try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel). Keep baked pita covered with a clean towel while you work on the rest.

GREEK SALAD PITA POCKETS WITH GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken cutlets in a shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, oregano, and 2 cloves garlic. Pour mixture over chicken cutlets and let marinate 10 minutes.
• Heat grill pan over high heat. Remove cutlets from marinade and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, 3 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes, then thinly slice.
• In a large bowl, toss together cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, feta, and mint (and olives, if using). In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar and remaining garlic clove. Slowly add remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in steady stream, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss gently to combine.
• Stuff each pita pocket half with grilled chicken and top with Greek salad.

GREEK PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• Combine first four ingredients until well mixed.
• stir in cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and onion.
• brush pita pockets and toast until warm in toaster oven.
• generously spread pita pockets with hummus.
• fill with basil, greens, meat and yogurt mixture.