Lamb Pitas With Yogurt Sauce Recipes

PRESSURE-COOKER LAMB PITAS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Select saute or browning setting on a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker. Adjust for medium heat; add oil. When oil is hot, brown lamb in batches. Add wine to pressure cooker. Cook 30 seconds, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Press cancel. Add onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano and basil. Return lamb to pressure cooker., Lock lid; close pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on high for 15 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes; quick-release any remaining pressure. Press cancel., Select saute setting; adjust for low heat. Add tomato paste; simmer, uncovered, until mixture is slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press cancel., To serve, dice enough cucumber to measure 1 cup; thinly slice remaining cucumber. Combine diced cucumber with yogurt and remaining salt. Fill pitas with lamb mixture, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and yogurt mixture. Freeze option: Freeze cooled lamb mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth or water if necessary.

LAMB PATTIES WITH FRIED ONIONS AND TAHINI-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Put lamb in a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt, some black pepper, the cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, scallions, cilantro, mint and garlic. Mix well with wet hands, kneading the mixture to distribute seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the seasoning penetrates. (Alternatively, season meat and refrigerate overnight.)
• Make the sauce: In a small bowl, put tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne. Stir well to dissolve the tahini. Then stir in yogurt, and mix well. Taste and add salt, to taste.
• Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. When oil is wavy, add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are crisp and well browned, edging toward burned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Lower heat if browning too quickly. Add a little more oil, if pan looks dry. Season lightly with salt. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Light a charcoal grill for a medium hot bed of coals. (Alternatively, use a medium-hot gas or electric grill, a cast-iron pan or griddle, or a broiler.)
• With wet hands, knead lamb mixture once more, then form into 4 (8-ounce) oval patties (or 6 5-ounce patties), about 1-inch thick. Set aside until the fire is ready. Place the grill about 1 inch from the coals.
• Cook patties about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, 130 degrees. After flipping, cook until red juices appear on the top of the patties. For medium, 140 degrees, cook longer, about 5 minutes per side. In either case, let them rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes before serving, to keep in juices. They will continue cooking a bit as they rest.
• Top each burger with fried onions. Serve with tahini-yogurt sauce and warm pita, if desired.

LAMB SOUVLAKI WITH YOGURT-GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• For souvlaki, mix first 5 ingredients to make a marinade and set aside. Distribute lamb, bell peppers, onion and tomatoes among 8 skewers. Place in a large shallow pan with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, rotating skewers once. Heat a gas grill to medium, or use a charcoal grill and allow the coals to turn a light-ash color. Coat grill with cooking spray. Grill until lamb is medium rare and lightly charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Rotate to cook evenly. To cook in oven, broil on metal skewers 6 minutes, rotating until evenly browned. Grill or toast pitas. For sauce, puree cucumbers and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Place in a fine-screen colander and squeeze out the juice. Reserve juice and discard pulp. Whisk cucumber and lemon juices in a bowl with yogurt. Mix in garlic; season with salt and pepper. Serve with pitas and skewers.

SPICED MIDDLE EASTERN LAMB PATTIES WITH PITA AND YOGURT

Steps:

• For the sauce:
• In a small bow, whisk the yogurt with the lemon juice. Stir in the chopped herbs, season with salt and refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the patties and pita:
• In a bowl, use your hands to mix together all of the ingredients, except for the pita. Form the mixture into twelve 3-inch oval patties (about 1 inch thick). Arrange the patties on a plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm
• Preheat a grill for at least 10 minutes and prepare it for grilling over moderately high heat. If you are using a charcoal grill, leave one area where you can grill the pita indirectly.
• Oil the grill grates and grill the patties until dark brown grill marks form on the bottom, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the patties and grill for 4 to 6 minutes longer, until just cooked through.
• Meanwhile, wrap the pita in foil and set the package on the top shelf of a gas grill or in the cooler spot of a charcoal grill and allow them to warm through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Wrap 2 or 3 patties in each pita, spoon some of the yogurt sauce alongside and serve with herb sprigs, passing the remaining yogurt sauce at the table.

LAMB BURGERS IN PITA WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix first 5 ingredients together in medium bowl. Season yogurt sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Mix lamb and next 5 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Season generously with salt and pepper. Shape mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.
• Preheat broiler. Place lamb patties on broiler rack and broil until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
• Open pita bread rounds; line bottoms with trimmed tops, if desired. Place lettuce, burger, then large spoonful of yogurt sauce in each round. Serve, passing sauce separately.

LAMB WITH VEGETABLES AND YOGURT SAUCE IN A PITA

Steps:

• Turn on toaster oven or oven. If using broiler, turn on and cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Trim the lamb of fat, and marinate in a small bowl with a mixture of vinegar and oil until ready to cook.
• Mince the garlic, and combine with the yogurt and lemon juice.
• Wash, dry and mince the mint, and add to the yogurt.
• Wash and trim the ends from the cucumbers, and slice very thinly. Wash, trim and slice the tomatoes; then, slice the onion thinly.
• Prepare stove-top grill, if using. Broil or grill lamb 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until it is rare.
• Wrap pitas in foil and heat for about 3 minutes, until they are hot and soft.
• Slice lamb.
• Slice pitas open. If using large ones, cut in half; fill each half with sauce, lamb, cucumbers, tomatoes and onion, then serve. Keep remaining pitas hot. Repeat with remaining halves or whole small pitas.

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI'S JERUSALEM LAMB SHAWARMA

Steps:

• Put the peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, fenugreek, fennel, cumin, star anise and cinnamon in a cast-iron pan set over medium-high heat and dry-roast them for a minute or two, until the spices begin to pop and release their aromas. Take care not to burn them. Add the nutmeg, ground ginger and paprika, and toss for a few more seconds, just to heat them, then transfer to a spice grinder. Process the spices into powder. Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in the sumac, salt, fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice and oil, and stir to combine.
• Use a small sharp knife to score the leg of lamb in a few places, making half-inch-deep slits through the fat and meat. Put the lamb in a large roasting pan and rub the marinade all over it, using your hands to massage the meat. Turn the lamb fat-side up, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it aside on a countertop for at least a couple of hours, or preferably, rest it overnight in the refrigerator.
• Heat oven to 350. Remove the aluminum foil, and place the lamb in the oven. Roast for approximately 4 1/2 hours, or until the meat is completely tender. After 30 minutes of roasting, add about a cup of boiling water to the pan, and use this liquid to baste the meat every hour or so. (Add more water, as needed, making sure there is always a little in the bottom of the pan.) After 90 minutes or so, cover the lamb with aluminum foil to prevent the spices from burning. Once the lamb is done, remove it from the oven, and leave to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving.

LAMB PITAS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. To prepare sauce, combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to use.
• 2. To prepare pitas, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook 5 minutes, or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, remove to plate and set aside.
• 3. Lightly coat same pan with nonstick cooking spray and add onion. Saute 3 minutes or until softened.
• 4. Stir in cooked lamb, oregano, cumin, salt, crushed red pepper and garlic. Reduce heat to low and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
• 5. Open pita halves and divide meat mixture evenly among the 4 halves. Add cucumber slices and tomato halves evenly. Top each with some of the sauce and serve.

LAMB PITAS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown lamb in batches. Transfer lamb to a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker, reserving drippings in skillet., In drippings, saute onion over medium heat until tender, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in wine, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano and basil. Add to lamb. Cook, covered, on low until lamb is tender, 6-8 hours., To serve, dice enough cucumber to measure 1 cup; thinly slice remaining cucumber. Combine diced cucumber with yogurt and remaining salt. Fill pita halves with lamb mixture, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and yogurt mixture. Freeze option: Freeze cooled lamb mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little broth or water if necessary.