Like many contentious Middle Eastern dishes, arayes have been claimed by many countries and cultures as their invention. Depending on who you ask, they’re from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, or Syria, and they have become a popular street food in Israel. This sandwich is unusual in that you stuff the pita with raw meat before you cook it, until it’s juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Make sure you pick up pita bread with deep pockets, rather than thicker flat breads deceptively labelled as “Greek pita.” The bright, zingy tahini sauce is the perfect counter to the rich, warmly spiced meat.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
• In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, onion, garlic, parsley, spices, and salt with your hands until evenly incorporated. Fill each pita half with one-quarter of the meat mixture, making sure they’re evenly filled from the bottom to the top edge.
• Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and bake the pitas directly on the middle rack above. This will catch any drippings but allow the pita to get crispy on both sides. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the pita is crisp.
• While the arayes bake, make the sauce: whisk the tahini, cold water, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a bowl until very smooth, or blend in a small processor. If the tahini seizes up or the sauce is too thick, add another teaspoon of cold water and repeat as needed.
• Cut the arayes in half and serve immediately with the tahini sauce for dipping or drizzling.

Recipe extracted from Open Sesame (Sasquatch Books)