Meatball Gyro with Fresh Pita
Credit to NYT Cooking for the Pita Bread
For the Pita
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
35 grams whole-wheat flour (1/4 cup), preferably freshly milled
310 grams unbleached all-purposed flour (2 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Meatballs
2-3 thick slices thick sourdough bread
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1/8 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped or pulsed in a food processor until very fine
Salt to taste
For Mediterranean Salsa
1 large heirloom tomato, diced
1 cucumber, seeds removed, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 cup chick peas
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Fresh lemon juice
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt to taste
For the Fries
2 large russet potatoes
Vegetable oil, for frying
Salt
Paprika
For the Pita
Make sponge: Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)
Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat diskc with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)
Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
For the Meatballs
Cut the crusts off the bread and tear into large pieces. Pulse in a food processor until crumb-sized, then transfer to a frying pan over low heat. Drizzle and toss with olive oil until well-coated then slowly toast until crumbs are a deep golden brown. Just before removing them from the heat, add lemon zest, red pepper flakes and garlic, and stir to combine. Transfer to a large bowl and toss a little bit to cool.
Add pork, egg, parsley, and onion to the bowl, along with 1-2 tsps salt. Mix (preferably with your hands) to fully combine the ingredients. Take a pinch and place on a paper towel, then microwave for 6-12 seconds until it’s cooked through. Allow to cool, then taste. Season the remaining pork mixture with additional salt as merited.
Once seasoning is perfect, line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Work pork into golf ball-sized balls, spaced out about 1” apart on the pan.
Turn oven on to broil. Place meatballs in lower rack of oven for 6 minutes, then check on them. If they are starting to brown on the top, flip them over then place back in the oven on an upper rack. Cook for another 4 minutes, then check on them. If they are browned, cut one open to make sure it’s cooked through, then serve hot.
For the Salsa
Combine everything in a bowl and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt to preference. Cover and leave at room temperature until ready to serve.
For the Fries
Peel potatoes and cut them lengthwise into slices, 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, keeping the slices together. Give the sliced potato a quarter turn and cut slices into strips. Soak in cold water at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Drain potatoes and pat dry. Place them in a deep heavy pot and pour in vegetable oil to cover, plus an inch or two. Heat to a bare simmer and let potatoes cook slowly for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until very soft.
Raise the heat to medium. Line a large bowl with paper towels. Let potatoes fry in bubbling oil until golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Lift out potatoes and place in a paper towel-lined bowl. Shake to drain, remove paper towels, add salt and paprika, and shake again. Serve immediately.
