Lamb Burgers in Pita
My elderly father-in-law Alex lived in England, so you can probably understand when I naively told him that the Golden Gate Bridge was old, he laughed. “Really,” he said, “How old?” He was also very dismissive of our fog. “Fog?” he would say, “Those are just a few low clouds!” Don’t get me wrong, Alex was a great dad, grandad, and really sweet father-in-law. He just wasn’t sure why his only son would want to live in a country with such lousy bacon and embarrassingly huge sandwiches. On top of that, he complained that everything was so expensive, because he was very frugal. It was a challenge finding something unusual and memorable, so we took him to a hotel in the desert for dinner. As we drove through the gate we passed a huge waterfall with pink flamingos wading in the pool below it. The hotel was known for its Japanese restaurant located in the middle of a lake. To get there you had to board a junk and sail over (captain provided). But we decided against Japanese food because Alex liked his meat burned to a crisp. Instead we headed for a Moroccan restaurant. My father-in-law kept remarking on how expensive the meal was going to be —he was worried we would spend a lot of money. Of course this restaurant was in a tent. At first glance it didn’t look very impressive and I was beginning to think we had made a mistake. As we got closer we could hear the faint sounds of eastern music. Stepping through a canvas flap into the tent, we all gasped. There were hanging lanterns casting warm glow to the tent. Dark red and peacock blue carpets covered the floor. Some people were sitting cross legged on huge pillows, others in overstuffed tangerine and garnet-colored chairs. The smells of cinnamon, cloves, citrus, and baked bread wafted towards us. Suddenly I was starving. The waiters came by to wash our hands, pouring rose water over them from a huge silver pitcher with a long spout. We ate with our fingers or scooped out the food with pieces of fresh warm bread. We had salads of grilled red peppers, and roasted carrots in cumin, couscous with nuts and dried fruit, Bastila of Fes (squab and quail pie with a crispy pastry topped with a dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon), and lamb kebabs. Alex was having a wonderful time, laughing and telling jokes but that stopped abruptly when the belly dancer arrived. The music started playing a bit louder and there was more percussion. She danced on a small stage in front of the musicians but as the music got faster and louder she moved around the room stopping for her admirers to tuck money into her sash. Alex was mesmerized. My husband and I bet that if we passed him a twenty dollar bill for her, he wouldn’t notice how much it was. He didn’t even look at the money as he slipped her the bill. I thought he was going to fall off his chair. On the way home, thinking I was asleep, he whispered to his son, “She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!”
4 servings
1 lb ground lamb (makes about 12 small patties)
½ small onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon each salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons each chopped parsley and mint
4 pita shells
2 tomatoes sliced
3 shredded lettuce leaves
Sliced red onion- for topping
Have the raita made ahead of time and in the fridge. It is best when cold. Cut the lettuce, tomato, and red onion and put them together on a plate of their own.
To make the lamb burgers: Put the first eight ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Mold the mixture into patties about 2 inches across (they will shrink as they cook). Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil and then patties. Cook 4 minutes and turn and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Once cooked, put them on another platter. While the burner is still warm place a pita on it just to warm it a bit and turn, repeat with the other three pita shells. Put a pita on each plate and pass the raita, burgers and veggies so that everyone can make their own plate.
Raita:
½ cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
½ large English or two small Persian cucumbers peeled and grated without the seeds
2 tablespoons of grated yellow onion
½ teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons of canola oil
Juice from ½ lemon
5 or six mint leaves cut into ribbons
