Reaaallly struggled to name this one. I came home from Wegmans (which, by the way, is AWESOME) with some turkey cutlets. I went to epicurious.com and searched around a bit. I found a recipe for “Shawarma†which is a Middle Eastern dish in which the name more accurately describes the cooking method than the overall taste. I used the basic idea of the dish but changed enough that it’s not a copy paste situation. Regardless, the name was tough for me so you might need to really scan through this to get the whole idea.
What I can say right off the bat is that this is delicious. I mean, I was really REALLY happy with the end result. So was the husband. To convince you, I took a picture of our finished plates:
This dinner took some time in the preparation ahead but when it came down to actually cooking it, it was a breeze. This could be GREAT to serve if having company. You could do an appetizer of hummus and veggies or baba ghanoush, then serve this meal with couscous. Ethnic food but trust me, not scary ethnic food. I was telling my husband about the spice rub and how I don’t use those spices very often; he said, “you should use them more often, I love this tasteâ€. If he wasn’t scared off, you definitely won’t be.
As you read through the recipe you might think, “I don’t have any of those things!â€. I can tell you, though, that some of the bizarre sounding things are worth getting because they will last. I haven’t used my tahini since I made hummus like, a year ago. It was happy and fresh as can be, sitting in my cabinet. Also, the spices and herbs listed here (coriander, cumin, white pepper) may seem obscure, but they are worth getting if you like the taste of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern foods, because you will use them again and again.
AND DON’T SKIP THE SAUCE. It’s the best part.
Middle Eastern Turkey Wraps
Serves 2-3
2-3 Turkey or Chicken cutlets
1 lg. onion, divided
Olive oil (about 2 tbsp.) for brushing
1/2 tsp. ground mustard (could use turmeric if you have that instead)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (use 1/4 if you don’t like spicy)
1 eggplant, sliced 1/2 in. thick
Tomato Relish
2 plum tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp. finely chopped onion (from the onion mentioned above)
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley (or 3/4 tsp. dried parsley)
1 tbsp. olive oil
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Dash chili powder, pinch salt
Tahini Sauce
3 tbsp. tahini
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (the other half from above)
1/4 c. warm water
2 green onions- scallions- minced
Salt and pepper to taste
For serving: Pita or a wrap you like.
1. Lay out meat on a baking sheet. Cut most of your onion into 1/2 inch rounds. Finely chop the rest for the salsa. Skewer onions rounds so they lay flat. Lay onions next to meat.
2. Spray or brush meat and onions with olive oil.
3. Combine dried mustard through cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over both sides of meat and onions.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (the longer the better, up to 4 hours, as the spice rub will denature your meat, making it more tender).
5. Prepare tomato relish by combining all relish ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use).
6. Prepare tahini sauce. Whisk tahini and lemon juice together, and then add warm water until at a pour-able consistency. Add in green onions and salt and pepper to taste. What is tahini, you might ask? Well, know how peanut butter is made from ground up peanuts? Tahini is made from ground up sesame seeds. It’s similar nutritionally to peanut butter or any nut butter – 180 cals. per 2 tbsp, lots of healthy fat, protein. It’s what’s in hummus besides chick peas.
7. Heat your grill to medium high.
8. While it’s heating, slice eggplant. Brush eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out on a plate.
9. About 25 minutes before you plan on serving this, bring the food out to the grill. Place the meat, onion skewer, and eggplant on grill and cover.
10. When meat is easy to flip, flip it. Eggplant should get nice and golden brown, as should the onions. Both veggies will need to be flipped.
11. Right before meat comes back in, toast your wrap/pita over a gas burner until slightly blackened. Lay on serving plates.
Look at those stats! I love these things.
Yes, put it right on the gas burner. No pan necessary.
12. Bring grilled food back inside. Layer each item and slice into chunks. I left the meat in strips but cubed the eggplant.
13. Into the pita or onto a wrap, spoon a strip of sauce. Top with eggplant, onion, and meat. Spoon more sauce down over the top, to your liking. Finish off with tomato relish.
14. Could also go bread-less; just do the layering right on your plate. Remember, go heavy with the sauce.
This was a big plate of happiness. It was filling but healthy; full of lean protein, veggies and healthy fats. As you can tell, I’m super pumped about how this turned out! TRY IT!
Middle Eastern Turkey Wraps
Serves 2-3
2-3 Turkey or Chicken cutlets
1 lg. onion, divided
Olive oil (about 3 tbsp.) for brushing
1/2 tsp. ground mustard (could use turmeric if you have that instead)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (use 1/4 if you don’t like spicy)
1 eggplant, sliced 1/2 in. thick
Tomato Relish
2 plum tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp. finely chopped onion (from the onion mentioned above)
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley (or 3/4 tsp. dried parsley)
1 tbsp. olive oil
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Dash chili powder, pinch salt
Tahini Sauce
3 tbsp. tahini
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (the other half from above)
1/4 c. warm water
2 green onions- scallions- minced
Salt and pepper to taste
For serving: Pita or a wrap you like.
1. Lay out meat on a baking sheet. Cut most of your onion into 1/2 inch rounds. Finely chop the rest for the salsa. Skewer onions rounds so they lay flat. Lay onions next to meat.
2. Spray or brush meat and onions with olive oil.
3. Combine dried mustard through cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over both sides of meat and onions.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (the longer the better, up to 4 hours, as the spice rub will denature your meat, making it more tender).
5. Prepare tomato relish by combining all relish ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use).
6. Prepare tahini sauce. Whisk tahini and lemon juice together, and then add warm water until the mixture is at a pour-able consistency. Add in green onions and salt and pepper to taste. What is tahini, you might ask? Well, know how peanut butter is made from ground up peanuts? Tahini is made from ground up sesame seeds. It’s similar nutritionally to peanut butter or any nut butter – 180 cals. per 2 tbsp, lots of healthy fat, protein. It’s what’s in hummus besides chick peas.
7. Turn on your grill to medium high.
8. While it’s heating, slice eggplant. Brush eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out on a plate.
9. About 25 minutes before you plan on serving this, bring the food out to the grill. Place the meat, onion skewer, and eggplant on grill and cover.
10. When meat is easy to flip, flip it. Eggplant should get nice and golden brown, as should the onions. Both veggies will need flipping.
11. Right before meat comes back in, toast your wrap/pita over a gas burner until slightly blackened. Lay on serving plates.
12. Bring grilled food back inside. Layer each item and slice into chunks. I left the meat in strips but cubed the eggplant.
13. Into the pita or onto a wrap, spoon a strip of sauce. Top with eggplant, onion, and meat. Spoon more sauce down over the top, to your liking. Finish off with tomato relish.
14. Could also go bread-less; just do the layering right on your plate. Remember, go heavy with the sauce.
