ARAYES (LEBANESE/MIDDLE EASTERN MEAT STUFFED PITAS)

Place the onions and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and blend to a paste.  Place them in a small bowl and press with paper towels to remove most of the moisture.

Add the parsley and mint to the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.  Add them to the bowl with the onions and add all of the spices.  Mix with a fork until everything is evenly distributed.  Add the meat to the bowl and massage everything all of the spices and veg are evenly distributed throughout the meat.

Cut the pitas in half horizontally, so that you have 2 rounds for each. Divide the meat mixture into 5 equal parts and spread them on 5 of the pita rounds in an even layer, about ½” – ¾”  thick, from edge to edge, covering the whole pita.  Top each with the other half of the pita.

Heat a grill pan or grill (you can also use a frying pan, but I love the grill marks) over medium high heat.  Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of the olive oil on one side of each of the pita ‘sandwiches’ and place them oil-side-down on the hot grill pan.  Press firmly with the back of a spatula so the pitas have good all-over contact with the grill pan. Drizzle the top sides with a little more oil.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes on the first side, pressing occasionally and then flip and cook 3-4 minutes on the second side.  Keep cooking and flipping every 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature of the sandwiches reaches 150-160 degrees.  The meat on the inside of the pitas should be mostly cooked through and the pitas will be golden brown and crispy.

Serve with tahini sauce on the side for dipping and lemon wedges for squeezing.  Eat immediately.