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A beloved street food in Middle Eastern cuisines, arayes are pita pocket sandwiches with delectably savory fillings. To make our arayes, we’re mixing ground turkey with baharat (a heady blend of spices popular throughout the region), sweet dried figs, chopped almonds and fresh parsley. Pressed gently into pita pockets and baked, the filling becomes succulent as the pita crisps, resulting in the perfect bite. On the side, zucchini wedges sautéed with garlic and almonds and a cooling yogurt sauce provide a welcome contrast in flavors.
Get CookingPreheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and small dice the onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Finely chop the figs. Roughly chop the almonds. Roughly chop the parsley leaves and stems. Halve the pitas. Cut off and discard the ends of the zucchinis; quarter lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3-inch-long wedges. Quarter and deseed the lemon.
In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion, spice blend and half the garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl. Wipe out the pan.
Lightly oil a sheet pan. To the bowl of cooked aromatics, add the ground turkey, figs, half the almonds and half the parsley; season with salt and pepper. Gently mix until just combined. Using a spoon, evenly divide the filling between the pockets of the pitas. Carefully press on the sides of the pitas to evenly distribute the filling, keeping the pitas as intact as possible. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan; lightly drizzle or brush the tops with olive oil.
Place the arayes in the oven and bake, flipping halfway through, 12 to 14 minutes, or until the pitas are lightly browned and crispy and the filling is cooked through. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut the baked arayes in half.
Once the arayes have baked for about 5 minutes, in the pan used to cook the aromatics, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the zucchinis and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly softened. Add the remaining almonds and remaining garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Turn off the heat and stir in the juice of 2 lemon wedges; season with salt and pepper to taste.
While the zucchinis cook, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt and the juice of the remaining lemon wedges; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the halved arayes and cooked zucchinis between 4 plates. Garnish with the remaining parsley. Serve with the yogurt sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Tips from Home Chefs