WTF pita?
OK, so it's my secret shame to admit that I have absolutely no flippin' clue what one does with pita bread.
i mean, i understand that it is usually to be stuffed with things, but...what? how?
are there any guidelines suggestions as to what one might shove inside his breaddy pockets?
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23 Comments:
First, give me a sec to let my mouth stop watering.
OK.
You can use pita as an effective and tasty "scoop" for hummus.
You can use pita as an equally effective scoop for tzatziki.
You can make pita pizzas (personal sized!).
You can brush pita with olive oil, smear with chopped garlic, S&P, oregano and throw it on the grill.
You can dip pita in olive oil, then in a small bowl of Zatar.
You can cut pita into six or eight wedges, toss in a bowl with olive oil, S&P and oregano, then toast them in a 400 oven for a few minutes.
You can wrap up lamb kebob with tzatztiki and tomatoes, maybe some lettuce and for grins, some feta.
I love pita and so many other breads but alas, I'm cutting down on my superfluous bread consumption, reserving it for only the absolute best. I don't buy it to keep in the house anymore but if I go to a Greek or Middle Eastern restaurant, you can bet I grab some pita.
chiff0nade at 10:06AM on 06/16/08
Scrambled eggs and salsa, cheese optional, sometimes leftover potatoes as well
erinlovestoeat at 10:11AM on 06/16/08
I second ALL of what chiffonade said...yummy.
Pita bread is great for dipping, but also for sandwiches. Stuff it with some grilled chicken, or any meat you desire. They're so versatile! And now I want a chicken souvlaki pita for lunch...
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 11:47AM on 06/16/08
chiff0nade covered it and beat me to it.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 12:18PM on 06/16/08
I, too, agree that chiff0nade gave you a brilliant tour into the wonderful world of pita uses. And there are still more:
*you can fill it with chicken salad or egg salad
*you can fill it with hummus and a sliced hard-boiled egg, or hummus and fresh vegetable slices (e.g. tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers)
*you can fill it with any kind of eggplant spread or salad
*you can fill it with any meat & condiment combination you feel like, really, including meatballs or burgers
I've been known to have a "Nutella pita" as well... mmm!
By the way, the easiest way to fill a pita with anything is to cut it in two right in the middle - you'll get 2 perfectly fillable halves!
brooke29 at 1:08PM on 06/16/08
I like to slather the insides with honey mustard, then pile in some deli ham, thin-sliced Granny Smith apples, and some red onion or sprouts.
On cooler days, add some sliced muenster or cheddar to the above, wrap in some foil and heat briefly to melt it into deliciousness. (minus the sprouts, that is)
moibec at 1:16PM on 06/16/08
Bierock pitas! Yummy!
Teresa1067 at 2:03PM on 06/16/08
Like everyone has said, anything goes pita-wise and many salad-type sandwiches or sandwiches with unwieldy fillings, like banana and peanut butter or hummus are neater to eat in a pita.
The 'classic' pita sandwiches (which you might have been originally asking about) are falafels (fried chickpea balls), schwarmas, gyros (lamb or other herb-roasted meat with mint or cucumber sauce), and occasionally I've seen them as 'holders' for kebabs.
Usually, when used for dips, they are quartered and warmed.
But there is no pita police--pb pitas sound great to me!
HeartofGlass at 2:32PM on 06/16/08
Chiff really gave a pretty good list of what to do with pitas...
but one their original intents is to fill it with falafels and eat a Falafel Sandwich. That's the way to eat falafels when I visited Israel. You can then garnish with a tomato/cucumber salad, some tahini or even some yogurt sauce.
I also toast them and make homemade pita chips to eat with homemade hummus.
I also make personal pita pizzas - they come in smaller or larger size... I prefer the smaller size because it can fit in my toaster oven. Spread some bruschetta mix and fresh mozarella on top and you have a simple instant pizza.
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 2:45PM on 06/16/08
Mmm, these all sound delicious. I also like to cut chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers into tuna and stuff that into pita as a substitute for the usual tuna sandwich on bread.
mwheeler at 2:52PM on 06/16/08
I like to tear mine up in Greek salad... yum...
chlamers at 5:00PM on 06/16/08
MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Falafels , hummus and tahini oh my!
They also work great for a not so doughy bun for sausages and hamburgers.
bodaciousgirl at 5:01PM on 06/16/08
I stuff mine with salads, or roasted veggies, etc.
Anything you would put into a sandwich can go into pita.
If you slice it in wedges and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, you'll have homemade, not fried pita chips.
I love to have a greek salad pita sandwich...quartered tomatoes, sweet onions, feta cheese, kalamata olives, a squirt of lemon juice and plenty of olive oil...toss together and then stuff into the pita. OMG, yum.
sweethunibabi at 5:46PM on 06/16/08
it's excellent cut into strips and broiled in the oven with a little olive oil and garlic salt. Healthy easy chips that are perfect with hearty soups, salads or dips.
avryan at 7:49PM on 06/16/08
I eat a half a pita stuffed with smoked chicken or turkey slices (the good kind
from Whole Foods) 3 slices of chic/turk and a slice of swiss and heat in the micro for 20 sec. Then add lettuce, tomato. It helps me cut down on mayo.
Now I'm about to make an incredible chicken salad with mayo thanks to all
of your help, and will put it in a pita.
stacemace at 8:49PM on 06/16/08
The two best pita sandwiches I've had were a salad sandwich (made at a booth for charity at a festival) which was basically just a lettuce mix (including shredded carrots and cabbage) with some cucumber slices, tomato slices, ranch or bleu cheese dressing, croutons and sunflower seeds with the other being more foodie-oriented as it was brick oven pita stuffed with brick oven baked delicata squash slices (so they had a nice crispy on the edges), beautiful chickpeas, arugula, tahini and chili sauce. Both really hit the spot as the first one was light and refreshing with the second one being amazing in that it was a meal I thought about all the rest of the day. Have since made both several times.
For some reason though all the falafel sandwiches I've had were in a thicker, non-pita wrap with the best one from a food cart. I have put tabouli and hummus in pita together though. Pita can be amazing heated up and lightly toasted in wedges. My daughter made a falafel recipe the other day but instead of making balls cooked it up so it was a hot dip for the toasted pita wedges and it was delicious. The Greek salad idea by sweethunibabi sounds brilliant and I can hardly wait to give that a try (with cucumbers, green and red pepper). :)
For some reason pita and sprouts seem to go together too.
Sieseye at 9:12PM on 06/16/08
fattoosh! basically a green salad with tomatoes and lots of crunchy fried pita bread, doused with plenty of olive oil and lemon juice.
cybercita at 10:35PM on 06/16/08
Years ago I worked for a guy named Sam and he make a wonderful pita sandwich. I can't recall it item per item, but it consisted mainly of romaine lettuce, almost cut into chiffonade, canned tuna, and dried oregano. It was yum!
Pita is so versatile and actually pretty easy to make as well. It's cool to watch 'em pop up as they bake. I make a whole wheat pitas regularly.
rlwycoff at 11:07PM on 06/16/08
All of the above recommendations sound delicious! I also like to melt a little butter, pat it onto the outside of the pita, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on it, put it in the oven at 350 for about ten minutes, and then cut it into wedges. It's a great sweet snack!
poke87 at 8:07AM on 06/17/08
You can tuck in slices of hard-boiled egg for a quick and filling breakfast or lunch. The possibilities are endless--try roasted vegetables, hummus, etc. You can substitute the pita in recipes that otherwise use regular sandwich bread--like PB&J!
cochon at 1:44PM on 06/17/08
pita makes the perfect eating vehicle for anything, lastnight's leftovers included.
redhead at 6:47PM on 06/17/08
Our favorite way is cut in half and spread the thicker side with Trader Joe's hummus. (#1 best tasting packaged hummus according to the SF Chronicle's Taster's Choice column, and I agree!) Then a thick slice of homegrown heirloom tomato and a salad of thinly sliced sweet onion, cucumber and romaine lightly dressed with a lemon juice-extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette and a sprinkle of feta cheese over the whole thing.
Sweet jeebus, I wish my tomatoes were ripe already.
Calichef at 8:49PM on 06/17/08
My three favorite things to eat in/on pita are: #1: cheese, #2: hummus, and #3: pizza (on top of the pita instead of high-calorie pizza dough). I've also substituted it instead of Naan sometimes when I've eaten Indian at home.
Enjoy!
Elizabeth (yummydietfood.com)
yummydietfood at 1:11AM on 06/25/08