Meat stuffed Syrian bread (Arayes), hummus and fattoush salad

Each and every culture has classic dishes, different approaches to mixing spices and different ways to prepare food and I love this, I love experimenting with new recipes, going to different shops looking for ingredients that are still unknown to me. And then I wait with bated breath for the final result. It’s like travelling without leaving your own kitchen.

I have been meaning to make a simple but special dinner and decided to add a Lebanese twist to it. I must admit that Lebanese cuisine is not that unknown to me as I grew up with my grandma’s Lebanese cooking. However I feel it is time for me to give my own twist to these familiar recipes which bring back so many amazing childhood memories. Wish I could go back in time.

I made 3 different recipes to make up my dinner menu but they are all very versatile. For instance Arayes are great as a light lunch or snack to have with friends and a bottle of beer or wine. The Hummus can also be used as a dip for vegetables, spread for sandwiches or added to fish, chicken or lamb. And lastly the salad, refreshing with the addition of mint, it is great on its own but also works well as a side dish. Don’t fret over the long list of ingredients, it looks like a lot of work but it’s all super easy to put together.

Meat stuffed Syrian bread (Arayes), hummus and fattoush salad (serves 4)

For the Arayes:

500g mince meat

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp. Salt

Black pepper, to taste

1 green pepper, chopped

1 tomato, no seeds, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp allspice

½ tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 red chilli

Pitta breads

For the Hummus:

1 tin (400g) of chickpeas 

3 tbsp tahine (sesame seed paste)

Juice of ½ lemon

1 clove of garlic, crushed

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp water

Black pepper to taste

For the Fattoush salad:

5-6 leaves of romaine lettuce, finely chopped

½ cucumber, cubed

1 tomato, cubed

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

2 tbsp chopped mint

3 radishes, cubed

1 spring onion, sliced

½ tsp sumac

1 pitta bread

3 tbsp lemon juice

6 tbsp olive oil

½ garlic clove, crushed

Salt and pepper to season

Method:

1. Start by seasoning the meat. In a mixing bowl add all of the ingredients for the Arayes, apart from the pitta. If you don’t like hot food, scrape the seeds from the red chilli before adding it. Get in there with your hands and mix it well. Cover and chill in the fridge.

2. For the hummus it is good to have a food processor at hand, but a blender works well too. Drain the chickpeas and rinse well. Add all the ingredients to the processor and mix for a good 3 minutes. The more you mix the creamier it gets. If the paste is too thick you can add a little more water. Taste to adjust for salt, pepper and lemon.

3. Preheat the oven 180C/350F/Gas 4 and toast the pitta for 10 minutes or until it gets very crispy. Using the serving bowl prepare the Fattoush and place the chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomato, parsley, mint, radishes, spring onion and sumac. In a separate bowl make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Break the toasted pitta and set both aside.

4. To finish the Arayes cut the pitta bread into quarters and add the prepared meat, fill each quarter of pitta with 1-2 tbsp of meat on average as it shouldn’t be overfilled. Do this step just before you bake them, otherwise they won´t get crispy. Place them on a tray covered with greaseproof paper and bake for 30 minutes or until they look toasted. Half way through the 30 minutes, turn the Arayes so that they can toast evenly.

5. When you are ready to serve mix the Fattoush with the dressing and the broken up pitta.

The combination of these 3 dishes together is delicious. The hot spices used in the Arayes with the layered flavours of the Fattoush salad is something that you have to experience in your life.

Just want to add that the cooking time for the Arayes can greatly differ depending on your oven – it is important that they don’t stay moist. Also the amount of fat in the meat you use affects how long it takes for the pitta to get toasty. I only used half of the Hummus to serve with the Arayes and the other half I sealed well and it can live in the fridge for up to a week.