Kebab Smyrneiko se Pita (Κεμπάπ Σμυρνέικο σε Πίτα)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •wide flat metal skewers, about 2cm wide, or 8 wooden skewers soaked 30 minutes
• •charcoal grill or heavy ridged cast-iron griddle
• •rimmed tray for chilling shaped kebabs
• •coarse box grater for the onion

Instructions

1. 1

   Stir the yogurt

   Stir the strained yogurt with the small grated garlic clove, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt. Keep it cold while you make the kebabs. It should be thick enough to cling to the pita, not run down your wrist.

2. 2

   Prepare the onion

   Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater, then squeeze it gently in your hand over the sink. Keep the damp pulp and lose the sharp watery juice. The onion should sweeten the mince, not loosen it.

3. 3

   Knead the mince

   Put the beef, lamb, onion pulp, 2 grated garlic cloves, chopped parsley, 10g salt, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, allspice, black pepper, and bukovo if using in a wide bowl. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, folding and pressing, until the mixture turns slightly glossy and clings to your fingers. This is the step that decides the kebab: salted mince must become tacky so it binds without egg or bread.

   If the mixture looks crumbly after kneading, keep working it another minute. If it looks wet, chill it before you judge it.
4. 4

   Rest it cold

   Press the mince into a shallow mound, cover it, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. Give it the hour. Hurry this part and the kebabs fight the skewer.

5. 5

   Shape the kebabs

   With damp hands, divide the chilled mince into 8 portions, about 110g each. Press each portion around a flat metal skewer into a long oval kebab, about 12cm long and 3cm thick, closing the ends firmly. If using wooden skewers, shape the kebabs around them after soaking the skewers for 30 minutes.

6. 6

   Heat the grill

   Heat a charcoal grill or heavy ridged griddle to medium-high. Clean the grate well and brush it lightly with olive oil. Brush the kebabs with a little olive oil too, just enough to give the surface a gloss.

7. 7

   Grill the kebabs

   Grill the kebabs for 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning once or twice, until the outside is browned with dark charred ridges and the center is cooked through. If you use a thermometer, look for 71C in the center. Let them rest on a plate for 3 minutes while you warm the pitas.

8. 8

   Warm the pitas

   Brush the pitas lightly with the remaining olive oil and warm them on the grill for 30 to 45 seconds per side. They should bend easily and take a few browned spots. A dry pita cracks, and then it isn't a wrap, it's a small argument.

9. 9

   Wrap and serve

   Spread each warm pita with yogurt. Slide in 2 kebabs, then add tomato slices, red onion, parsley leaves, and a thin thread of Koroneiki oil. Fold the bottom up, close the sides, and serve at once with lemon wedges if you like.

Chef Tips

• •Use mince with fat. Lean beef makes a dry kebab no matter how carefully you grill it; ask for beef chuck and a little lamb shoulder, or all lamb if that's what your butcher does well. Λίγα και καλά.
• •Don't add egg or breadcrumbs. That makes a softer meatball mixture, not Smyrna kebab. The bind comes from salt, kneading, and the cold rest.
• •A winter tomato has no business here unless it tastes of something. Use roasted red pepper strips and onion instead of pretending a pale tomato can help. Greek cooking has a calendar. Listen to it.
• •This is not fasting food. During Lent, make a pita of grilled mushrooms, onions, herbs, and fava Santorinis, because the nistisimo table has its own deep kitchen and doesn't need imitation meat.

Advance Preparation

• •Mix and rest the mince 1 hour ahead; overnight is even better if it stays covered and cold.
• •Shape the kebabs up to 8 hours ahead and keep them on a covered tray in the refrigerator.
• •Stir the yogurt sauce up to 1 day ahead. Slice tomato and onion just before wrapping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 410g)