Arayes - Lebanese Stuffed Pita Burgers
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Food:
Beef
Serves:
4
Prep Time:
10 min
Cook Time:
20 min
These Arayes, or Lebanese Stuffed Pita Burgers, are inspired by Carolina Gelen's recipe and videos. Our chef Matt Basile had to make his own version on the Alchemy using the flattop, smoker and general fire flavour to enhance the dish. Made with fatty ground prime rib meat to up that juice flavour, then stuffed between pita, seared on the flattop and then smoked in the Alchemy smoker - this dish is so tasty. Served with labneh and an olive and charred tomato relish, this recipe is rich and satisfying but balanced with a cool dip of labneh and a fresh, salty pop of olives and cherry tomatoes. It's so simple to make, but you would never know by it's mix of interesting flavours, it's a must-try recipe.
By:Chef Matt Basile
Ingredients
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2 lbs ground prime rib
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1/3 Spanish onion
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3 tbsp chopped curly parsley
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1 tsp salt
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1 tsp chili flakes, or adjust for spice level
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1 tsp black pepper
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1 tsp paprika
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2 tsp sesame seeds
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2 tsp Italian mixed herbs
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2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
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2 cloves garlic
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Zest from 1 lemon
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2 pitas
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10-15 yellow cherry tomatoes
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4 tbsp chopped curly parsley
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¼ cup crumbled feta
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18-20 pitted whole Kalamata olives
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Juice from half a lemon
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1 tsp paprika
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2 tsp sesame seeds
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2 tbsp olive oil
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Salt to taste
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Black pepper to taste
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2-3 tbsp labneh
Instructions
Set smoker to 300F.
Place the ground prime rib in a bowl. Finely dice the onion and parsley and add to the ground beef.
In a small bowl combine the salt, chili flakes, black pepper, paprika, sesame seeds, oregano, salt, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Add to the ground beef, onions and parsley – make sure to keep the bowl from the seasoning. Grate in the garlic and lemon zest and mix to combine.
Cut one pita in half. Add a layer of ground beef to one of the halves and then place the other half of pita on top. Cut into quarters. Repeat with the second pita. Place both on a baking tray, drizzle more olive oil into the seasoning bowl and use that to brush both sides of the pita. Place on the flattop and sear all sides, making sure to flip onto the two sides of the pita with the meat exposed, to get it nicely caramelized. Transfer to a tray and place in the smoker and let cook about 10-15 minutes or until just cooked through.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place on the flattop to char, flipping once.
Finely chop the parsley, and place it in a bowl, add the charred tomatoes once done. Crumble the feta into the bowl, then add the olives, lemon juice, paprika, sesame seeds, olive oil and mix. Season with salt and pepper a mix.
To plate, spread the labneh onto a platter as the base. Place the arayes on top of the sour cream and sprinkle on the tomato, parsley, olive and feta mixture.