Mediterranean Beef Pitas

Here they are! I found the original recipe at Real Simple, but like I mentioned in my last post...while I'm all about real simple preparation, I'm not all about real simple (translated: zero) flavor. I usually end up tweaking recipes I find from these guys because when I follow the recipe, things just seem to turn out not quite right. So you can try the original if you want, but I recommend the following:

1 lb. ground beef
salt | pepper | dried oregano
olive oil
pitas
garlic hummus
red onion | fresh garlic | fresh parsley
lemon

Beef Preparation:
Form beef into small patties about an inch wide. Season on both sides with plenty of salt, pepper, and dried oregano (the beef really needs the added flavor). While they cook over medium heat, dice about half of a small red onion and mince a couple cloves of garlic; sprinkle into the pan while meat is cooking. (This will get the onions nice and soft and give the meat some extra flavor.) Drain the grease out but leave as much of the onion in as possible.

Pita Preparation:
Toss pitas into oven to get a little toasty - but only leave them for about a minute, because if they get too warm, they'll get hard when they cool and be hard to eat. Chop up fresh parsley and toss with fresh lemon juice. Make a mixture of olive oil and cracked pepper to spread over pita, then spread garlic hummus over one half. Place beef patties and sprinkle with parsley, then squeeze some more lemon over everything for good measure. (Make sure you put the onions from the pan on top too!) I think after leftovers, we got 5 or 6 pitas-worth out of it.

I was a little leery at first, but you'll be amazed at combined flavors of the parsley and lemon! It was so fresh and was great with the garlic and onion. Levi was skeptical about eating hummus with dinner, but he claimed the leftovers the next day, so I think it was a winner. And especially when something that delicious is so fast and easy to prepare...who couldn't say yes?