Lebanon

Menu: Arayes, fattoush, and sharab el ward | Recipe Source: fufuskitchen.com, thekitchn.com, food.com

Meat stuffed pitas are a popular Middle Eastern street food that go by many names, but in the Levant, they’re called arayes. Onions, garlic, baharat, and ground beef or lamb are mixed together, stuffed into olive oil-brushed pitas, and then baked until golden brown and fragrant. The dish is usually served with a variety of dipping sauces—garlicky yogurt, hot sauce, tahini, etc.— and paired with a refreshing salad to balance out the heaviness of the fried pitas and meat. For my attempt at this Lebanese staple, I went with ground lamb for the arayes, fattoush for the salad (romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, onion, and homemade pita chips dressed in lemon juice, sumac, and pomegranate molasses), garlicky yogurt from my favorite Persian grocery store, and a spicy honey-sumac-harissa sauce. The arayes were crispy, savory, and slightly greasy in the best possible way, and the fattoush and mast-o-moosir yogurt sauce both added a tart, fresh pop on the side (while the spicy dip provided some zing). The sharab el ward was the perfect summer drink—lemony, sweet, subtle, and floral—and all in all, this was hands down one of the best meals of this project, and I can’t wait to make it again!

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Arayes (link): I made a few minor changes to this one. Based on another recipe I saw, I added 1 tbsp chopped mint and 1/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses to the filling mixture, and also opted to use both freshly ground allspice and baharat (7 spice) instead of choosing between them. I added 1.5 tsp cumin and skipped the chili paste (I wanted to make a spicy sauce on the side) and paprika entirely.

Fattoush (link): I added 1/2 tsp pomegranate molasses to the dressing and juiced 2 lemons instead of one, but otherwise followed this exactly!

Sharab el Ward (link): I halved this recipe and used a little dye-free grenadine instead of red food coloring because #allergies

Hot Sauce: I made this saucing by combining 1/4 cup Stuzzi (if you can’t find it at your grocery store, use any other “neutral” hot sauce like Louisiana or red Tabasco), 1/2 tbsp honey (microwave it for 15-20 sec to thin it out and make it easier to stir), 1/2 tbsp sumac, and 1 tsp mild harissa paste.