Keftedes in Pita!

Everyone loves a meatball. Okay, maybe not vegetarians, but still. Happy little balls of meat. What's not to love? And different cultures have different seasonings and styles. These are a spin-off from classic Greek meatballs and every good Greek meatball deserves a good pita. Add in some grilled veggies, tzatziki or hummus, tomatoes, feta... and you have yourself an awesome assemble-it-yourself pita fest!

These keftedes and pita are also our farewell meal for the wonderful cookbook author Tessa Kiros. She has been the focus of our cooking club for the last six months and we have had a wonderful time discovering her style and range as a cook. Her books are delightful and everything I have made of hers has been wonderful. As much as I am going to miss her, I am also very excited for our new focus - Rick Bayless! We will be cooking with him for the next six months. Feel free to join in!


Keftedes
adapted from Tessa Kiros, Falling Cloudberries
for I♥CC Goodbye Tessa

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 eggs
1 granny smith apple, shredded
1 red onion, shredded
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
¾ cup panko bread crumbs

Combine gently in a large bowl, with your hands. Try to get everything incorporated without over-working the meat.
Cover and let chill in fridge for an hour.
Form into meatballs - I got 55 small ones. Chill balls in fridge, covered, until you are ready to cook them. All this chilling helps keep the shape.
Cook - you can thread these onto a skewer to grill on the BBQ, roast on a rack in the oven for about 45 mins at 425°, or fry in a cast iron pan with some vegetable oil. I would prefer the grill, but it was cold and we baked ours. When you think your meatballs are done, crack one open to make sure it is cooked through.

Pita Bread
adapted from Tessa Kiros, Falling Cloudberries
for I♥CC Goodbye Tessa

2¼ tsp instant dry yeast
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sugar
4 cups AP flour
1 tsp salt

Combine ingredients in your stand mixer until well blended. Add in 1 cup warm water and start to stir. Add in enough extra water to make a smooth dough. Mix with the dough hook for 3 minutes.
Knead dough on a lightly floured board for 5 more minutes.
Form into a ball and let rise in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough, for 1 hour - covered.
Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Form into balls and let sit on a lightly floured counter, with a little flour sprinkled on top, for a half hour.
Preheat oven to 425°F with a baking stone in it - 30 minutes before baking.
Aim to bake about 3 at a time if you have a standard rectangular baking stone. Less if yours is smaller.
Roll out the balls of dough to an elongated circle, 6-8 inches.
Bake 6 mins on one side, flip and bake 2 mins on the other.
Stack in tea towels to keep soft until serving.
Store any unused pita in plastic to avoid hardening.

This Pita has been YeastSpotted!