Recipe: Arayes

Don't judge a sandwich by its crust. My attempt at making arayes, a type of Syrian grilled sandwich turned out a bit sloppy but thanks to high-quality, unctuous lamb, fresh labneh, and good amount of chili, the contents were delicious.

Ironically, it was my choice of labneh rather than frozen pita that was probably the undoing of this sandwich. The former was unavailable fresh and the latter (more traditional) only frozen. Next time, I won't overstuff my sandwich and use pita in order to form neater, more compact pockets. Right now, I'll just enjoy this simple, satisfying snack.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 1 small yellow onion (chopped)

• 1 bunch parsley (chopped)

• 1 teaspoon chili flakes

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• Butter

• salt

• pepper

• labneh/pita bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine ground lamb, onion, parsley, chili flakes, and allspice in a large bowl. 

3. Cook meat mixture in a pan on the stoveup until just hints of pink remain.

4. Butter exterior of bread pockets and stuff with meat mixture. Do not overstuff.

5. Cook on wire rack in oven; 10 minutes for medium rare, 20 minutes for well done.