Mediterranean Street Food

This recipe is one of my most popular ever. I first made it when I was brand-new as the Spanish Tapas Bar Chef, back in 2011.

My own blackboard menu at that time was my personal pride and joy. It was, however, a short while before I really hit my stride at that post. Inspiration didn’t immediately flow like magic (although eventually it surely did!), and sometimes new ideas came my way in divine ways.

Chef Michael Symon (who is of Greek, Sicilian, and Eastern European descent, which meant I could trust his food savvy), prepared something like this recipe in minutes, on a rarely-watched (for me) TV program.

I took the idea and ran with it. My own rendition was immediately a huge hit at the Bar, and has been ever since with everyone I’ve shared this with.

In my seemingly-haphazard ;) Cooking by the Sea with Chef Di  video from summer 2020, I prepare this recipe and if you watch, kindly don’t judge LOL ! It was tricky cooking in a makeshift rooftop kitchen (!) in the bright hot sun! At least some of my tips are very good ;)

From the Rooftop Kitchen Video

It may be served either as a wrap sandwich, or deconstructed (in pieces; shown in lead foto) which was actually more popular at my Spanish Bar, because it could be shared more easily. Leftovers are delicious, since the julienned vegetables are marinated and the seasoned ground meat tastes even better the next day.

This prep is a lot less daunting than it appears, in fact, everything is easily prepared for a very delicious weeknight meal. I hope you enjoy it.

Mediterranean Street Food

To begin, warm pita bread:

8 pieces of pita bread

Extra-virgin olive oil

Brush both sides of pita bread with a little olive oil, stack pieces. In large piece of foil, wrap stack of pita tightly, to warm in low 300F oven. (Please do not microwave pita to heat!)

Prepare seasoned ground meat:

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

I lb. ground chicken, beef, lamb, or combination (I personally prefer chicken)

1 generous teaspoon cumin powder

1 generous teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tsp smoked or hot paprika

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet and crumble meat into pan. Add cumin, cinnamon, paprika. Break meat into smallest pieces possible. When meat is just about cooked through, add cilantro, parsley, and mint. Continue cooking until meat is lightly browned. Taste and adjust seasoning with any additional flavors you prefer. When you like the flavor, it’s done. Transfer from skillet to serving bowl, keep warm.

Prepare marinated vegetables:

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1 cup julienned carrots

2 Persian cucumbers, julienned

1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, julienned

½ cup thinly sliced red onion, or pickled onions

Red wine vinegar

Extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Combine cabbage, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion in serving bowl. Splash with red wine vinegar (maybe 1/2 cup, or more - enough to coat mixture well). Stir through. Generously drizzle mix with olive oil to coat mixture again, stir through. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until serving. Store remaining portion (preferably in glass bowl) for up to 3 days.

Prepare Yogurt dip/sauce:

2 cups Greek-style plain yogurt (I prefer whole-milk)

Juice of two fresh limes

Honey to taste

Pinch of salt

Whisk yogurt and lime juice in medium bowl. Drizzle in honey to taste, for desired sweetness; stir in salt. Keep remaining portion refrigerated for up to 2 weeks (use for smoothies – delicious!).

Serve Street Food:

For wrap sandwich:

Lay warm pita on piece of sandwich paper for wrapping (optional). Place some ground meat down the middle of round. Top with some marinated vegetables, and drizzle with yogurt sauce. Roll sandwich as tightly as possible. Cut with sharp knife to halve diagonally. Serve immediately.

For Deconstructed Platter :

Cut pita rounds into triangles (4, 6, or 8 pieces). Place pita pieces, bowl of meat, vegetables, and yogurt sauce on plate / platter, and allow guests to serve themselves as desired.

Yields about 4-6 servings.