Pan-Fried Beef-Filled Pita

Pita bread stuffed with spiced ground beef or lamb and grilled, pan-fried, griddled or baked until the meat is juicy and the bread is toasty-crisp is a Levantine favorite called arayes. For our version, we mash some torn-up pita with juices from the grated onion and tomato; the resulting paste, called panade, is mixed into the meat, as if making meatballs, to ensure the filling cooks up tender. Thick, fluffy pita bread works best to make these sandwiches—they have more structure than thin pita, which quickly turn soggy after cooking. Look for pita rounds that are about ½ inch thick and be sure they’re fresh and supple, not dry and brittle. We like the sandwiches served with a simple yogurt sauce to brighten up the flavors.