Lamb mititei with pita and tzatziki

These homemade lamb sausages and pita breads are worth the effort

Serves

Prep Time

1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Mititei are a staple Romanian street food similar to koftas or homemade sausages without casings. Full of herbs and spices, they pair beautifully with pita bread and tzatziki. If you have never made your own pita bread before we promise it's well worth it. Requiring quick hands, the pita are light and fluffy on the inside with a delicious charred flavour.

Zoe Lloyd

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Ingredients

Mititei

500g Quality Mark lean lamb mince
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp orange zest
finely grated
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp flaky salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil

Pita bread

300ml warm water
1 tsp dried baker's yeasti
1 tsp white sugar
400g plain flour
1 tsp flaky salt
olive oil
for cooking

Tzatziki

¾ cup cucumber
coarsely grated
250 Greek style yoghurti
unsweetened
1 garlic clove
finely chopped
handful mint leaves
coarsely chopped
½ tsp flaky salt

Quick pickle

200ml white wine vinegar
160g white sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 large carrots
peeled and thinly sliced into rounds

To serve

400g salad leaves
small handful fresh dill

Method

Pita breads

Mix the water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl and leave until the yeast is frothy, about 5 minutes. If you don’t see this reaction occurring start again (see cooking tip below)..

Mix to form a dough and knead either by hand or with a stand mixer for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and springs back when touched.

Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave for an hour in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 8 even-sized balls and roll each one out with a rolling pin so that they are 10cm in diameter.

Heat a good dash of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and when hot, put in 2 pita breads at a time, flipping when the first side is brown. Transfer to a plate once cooked and repeat with the remaining pita.

Tip: When using yeast it is important to get the temperature of the water correct. If you have a thermometer it should read about 37C. This is also known as blood temperature so if you put your finger in the water it shouldn’t feel hotter or colder than your body temperature. If you are using fresh yeast it won’t froth like dried yeast, simply just mix with water and use straight away.

Tzatziki and quick pickle

To make tzatziki, combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and put in fridge until ready to serve.

For the quick pickle, put the vinegar, sugar, and cumin seeds in a small pot over a low heat. Once boiling, take off the heat immediately and allow to cool. Add the carrots and set aside.

Mititei

Combine all the ingredients, except the oil, in a bowl and mix well. Divide the mixture into 8 even-sized balls then roll into sausage shapes.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Put the mititei in the pan and cook for about 6-7 minutes, turning frequently to get an even dark brown colour.

Serve immediately with the pita bread, tzatziki, fresh salad leaves, pickles and dill sprigs.