Koftas (Middle-Eastern Style Beef-Stuffed Pita Pockets) with Tahini Sauce

Get your grill fired up ... have I got a recipe for you!

Had some ground beef my son picked up for me at the local Try-n-Save, but didn’t want to make the same ol’ boring burgers for dinner yet again. Luckily I follow lots of recipe-sharing Facebook groups. A member of one mentioned how she makes ground beef koftas. Okay, but what exactly was a kofta? Sounded exotic.

But turns out koftas are spiced (as in flavor, not heat) ground beef or lamb, formed into balls or patties, then grilled. Some traditions make them into sausage shapes and thread onto skewers, shish kabab style. In my new-found friend's version, uncooked koftas are stuffed into pita pockets, then grilled. Which makes grill clean-up afterwards mad easy!

While said member was gracious enough to provide a list of ingredients,  she must be one of those talented people who never measure (“just add spices until you added enough”). So I tinkered a bit (okay, a lot) until evenually I figured out how much of each spice to use, and the result was dee-licious. But they did need something else that I couldn’t put my finger on. Until my fingers found Jamie Geller’s “sloppy joe” recipe. She uses almost the same ingredients, except she accompanies her ‘joes with tahini dressing. What a revelation! Talk about icing on the cake …. er … I mean pita.

So I tinkered with that as well to come up with my saucier version. I used garlic powder (as opposed to The Real Thing in the koftas) to keep the sauce smooth. Awesome sauce! Like hummus, but drizzleable!

Note: the recipe makes twice as much sauce as you’ll need. But it’s great over pretty much any veggie so you’ll have no problem using it up.

Koftas (Middle-Eastern Style Beef-Stuffed Pita Pockets) with Tahini Sauce
Adapted from jamiegeller.com
Yield: 4 Servings
Note: don’t be alarmed at the number of spices! Just a few quick dips with a measuring spoon and you’ll be enjoying dinner in a matter of minutes.

Koftas

1 lb. ground beef  (or lamb)
1 small yellow onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced (or 4 tsp. bottled chopped garlic)
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 -1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Tahini Sauce

1/2 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1/4 cup lemon
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4-1/2 cup water
4 pita breads, cut into 8 half pockets
1/4 cup olive oil

Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Add chopped onion and garlic, followed by the next 6 spices (coriander through black pepper). With (preferably clean hands, mix it all together, then gently but firmly form meat mixture into 8 patties. Set aside.

Preheat grill to medium. With a whisk (or fork), whisk together tahini, lemon juice, garlic powder and 1/4 cup of water in small mixing bowl until no lump remain. If mixture seems too thick, whisk in more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches desired consistency (I like my sauce to barely drip from a spoon). Set aside.

Place a meat patty into each pita pocket. Press down on pita pockets to flatten patties a little more so that they cook faster, being careful to keep meat from spilling out of the pita. Brush both sides of pita liberally with olive oil.

Place pita pockets on preheated grill, then immediately reduce heat to low. Grill for about 10-15 minutes, turning pockets every 5 minutes, until they are lightly charred and meat is no longer pink in center.  You might have to cut one in half to make sure, but cutting does not make it lose its flavor.

Spoon tahini sauce into (and/or onto) pockets. Serve hot.