Thin Armenian pita bread is an excellent basis for preparing fast, so-called lazy dishes. Its tender, malleable dough is well soaked and quickly browned, clutching a crisp.
Pita pasties - general principles of preparation
• For pasties use rectangular or round sheets of thin pita bread. They can be found on sale or baked on their own.
• Low-fat minced meat, grated cheese, fried mushrooms are used in the filling of pasties. Often the filling is made combined, for example, meat with mushrooms or potatoes with cheese. The filling should not be too juicy, the gentle pita dough quickly absorbs moisture and can creep out.
• Form pasties from pita bread in the form of triangles or squares. Rectangular sheets with scissors are divided into squares, round cut into segments. The filling is distributed in an even layer over almost the entire surface of the sliced pieces, leaving only the part that needs to be wrapped free. So that the edges are well glued together, they are lubricated with an egg, after which they are sweatily pressed with their hands.
• Formed blanks are stacked with low piles on the table, 3-4 pasties each. If put more, they can stick together.
• Lavash pasties can be fried in a pan or cook in the oven. Chebureks are fried, in contrast to classical products, in a small amount of oil, in the oven they maintain a temperature of at least 180 degrees.
• Lavash pasties are hot when the crust is still crunchy. When chilled, they are no less tasty, but this effect can no longer be achieved.
Lazy pita pasties with minced meat
Ingredients:
• low-fat pork pulp - 300 gr.;
• six thin rectangular pita breads;
• a small bunch of dill or cilantro;
• three medium onions;
• salt, spices and ground pepper;
• refined sunflower oil for frying.
Cooking method:
1. Rinse a piece of meat with cold water, cut off the fatty layers and remove the films. Cut the flesh into small pieces and grind it with a meat grinder using the largest grate.
2. Cut the peeled onions into pieces and twist in a meat grinder after meat. Do not spare the onion, the more you put it, the juicier the filling will be.
3. Rinse fresh herbs with a stream of cold water. Shake the bundle several times to remove any remaining moisture and dry well with a towel. Remove the stems, and finely chop the greens with scissors directly into the mincemeat.
4. Add ground onion, season with spices and pepper, slightly salt and knead well.
5. Cut each sheet of pita bread with scissors into equal squares. You can use a thin, very sharp knife, it is important that the pita does not break.
6. Visually divide the square prepared from pita bread diagonally into two triangles. Lay out a little mincemeat on one and spread it evenly over the entire surface of an imaginary triangle. Then bend the square diagonally and firmly press the pita bread to the meat with your hands. According to this principle, prepare all the blanks of pasties and put them on the table in low stacks, four in each.
7. Pour a little vegetable oil into the pan, fat should cover its bottom by half a centimeter. Put on medium heat and heat well.
8. In hot oil, dip the pasties of pasties prepared from pita and minced meat and fry them on both sides. Turn over only after the bottom is covered with a pronounced golden crust.
Recipe for juicy pita pasties in the oven
Ingredients:
• six small thin pita bread, rectangular;
• 300 gr. any low-fat stuffing;
• a small bunch of dill;
• 200 gr. bitter onion;
• to taste aromatic spices and ground pepper;
• an incomplete spoon of ground coriander;
• ice cubes.
Cooking method:
1. With a knife or scissors cut the sheets of pita bread into squares, with a side of at least 15 cm.
2. Cut the peeled onions into slices and with minced meat, pass through a meat grinder.
3. Add chopped dill greens to the minced meat, season the meat mass with spices to your taste and, without fail, carefully stir the coriander in it. Add a little ground pepper and small evaporated salt.
4. On each square, apply an evenly thin layer of minced meat in the form of a triangle. Put about a teaspoon of crushed ice on top and cover the filling with the free part of the pita bread. So that the edges seize and do not stick out in the future, you can well smear them with whipped protein.
5. Put the pastry blanks on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Be sure to bring the temperature in the oven to 180 degrees in advance.
6. After 25 minutes, delicious, juicy pasta chebureks will be ready.
Lavash pasties with cheese filling
Ingredients:
• salted feta cheese - 300 gr.;
• 250 gr. fresh "Russian" cheese;
• fresh herbs;
• one egg;
• sunflower vegetable oil.
Cooking method:
1. Pieces of pita bread cut in equal squares. It is desirable that the side length is about 15 cm.
2. Grate both types of cheese with coarse chips and mix. Add finely chopped greens. Pick it to your taste: it can be parsley, green onions or dill. The feathers of green onions, after chopping, it is advisable to slightly mash. If you do not like greens, you can do without it.
3. Add a little water to the cheese filling, season with ground pepper and mix.
4. Beat the egg. With a culinary brush, apply the egg mass on the edges of the squares so that only the edge of a centimeter width is missed.
5. On the prepared squares in this way, lay out the filling in the shape of a triangle and cover it with the free part of the pita bread, press the edges firmly. Try not to get the stuffing on greased places, otherwise the edges stick together loosely.
6. Fry the pasties in a thick-walled pan in calcined oil until golden brown.
The recipe for thin homemade pita bread for pasties
Ingredients:
• full 250 gr. a glass of drinking water;
• a pound of wheat flour;
• fine salt;
• 50 gr. sweet cream butter;
• two teaspoons of “fast” yeast.
Cooking method:
1. Mix the seeded flour with yeast.
2. Dissolve a pinch of finely ground salt in warm, not hot water, add softened oil and mix until it is completely dissolved.
3. Pour the prepared liquid base into the flour and knead the dough. Cover with a cloth, put in heat.
4. When it rises well, lay the dough on the table. Having washed it several times with your hands, divide it into balls, with a diameter of not more than 5 cm.
5. Roll each with a thin, 2 mm thick, layer, giving a rounded shape, and fry, laying in a preheated dry pan.
6. To prevent tan marks on the sheets of pita bread, do everything quickly, over medium heat, for 15 seconds on each side. Do not fry pita bread until golden brown, otherwise dry.
7. Put prepared thin sheets of pita bread on a moistened towel and cover with another cloth, also moistened with water. If this is not done, the sheets will be dry and unsuitable for further work. After frying, you can simply moisten the pita with water by spraying it from the spray gun. At first it will be wet, but then it will absorb moisture.
Lavash meat pasties with mushroom filling
Ingredients:
• 150 gr. fresh champignons;
• two onions;
• 150 gr. any lean stuffing;
• high-quality vegetable oil;
• one egg;
• two tablespoons of low-fat sour cream;
• six round pita breads.
Cooking method:
1. Rinse the peeled onions with water. Chop one onion into small cubes, and pass the second with minced meat through a meat grinder.
2. Lightly brown the chopped onion in the oil. Do not fry strongly, as soon as its slices become transparent, add sliced champignons and continue to simmer for ten minutes on low heat.
3. Add sour cream, slightly salted, simmer for no more than two minutes, leave from the stove and cool.
4. Re-twist the minced meat with onions and pepper to your liking, add the right amount of salt and mix. For juiciness, you can pour a little water into the meat mass.
5. Cut round pita bread into four segments (triangles). Brush the edges of each beaten egg.
6. Put the minced meat on one half in an even layer, then evenly spread the fried mushrooms on it. Cover the filling with the free part of the pita bread and press the edges firmly with your fingers.
7. Fry the pasties in a small amount of vegetable oil until golden brown.
Lazy pita pasties with double filling of potatoes and cheese
Ingredients:
• two large potatoes;
• a small onion;
• one egg;
• 100 grams of Poshekhonsky cheese;
• refined vegetable oil;
• thin Armenian pita bread;
• a little young dill.
Cooking method:
1. Peel the potatoes, cut into slices and boil in slightly salted water until tender. Strain the broth, and mash the potatoes with a crush and cool.
2. Chopped onions lightly brown in vegetable oil and mix with potatoes. Complete the filling with finely chopped herbs, season with ground pepper, mix, grate the cheese with an average grater.
3. Cut the sheets of pita bread with the same rectangles, grease the edges with whipped protein and put the potato filling on one half. Sprinkle it abundantly with chopped cheese, cover with a free edge and slightly press with your hands. Pay particular attention to the edges.
4. Fry lazy pita pasties in warmed oil over moderate heat for an average of about 3 minutes. It is enough that the sides are only slightly browned.
Pita pasties - cooking tips and tricks
• If you have time, make pita bread yourself. Bake the sheets immediately in small circles, then the pasties can be formed in the shape of a classic crescent.
• Use scissors or a sharpened knife to cut sheets. Dumb will tear tender dough.
• Gentle pita dough dries very quickly in the air, therefore, sheets should be stored only in a plastic bag. If the products could not be kept in the desired shape, moisten them slightly with water and cover with a towel, after just a couple of minutes they will become soft again.
