Arayes (meat-stuffed pan-fried pita) with tahini yogurt sauce

Season the ground lamb with smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, allspice, cayenne, black pepper and salt; add chopped Italian parsley, crushed or minced garlic, and grated onion.

Mix thoroughly and evenly, starting with a fork and finishing by hand if needed.

Wrap and refrigerate at least an hour, or as long as overnight.

For the sauce, combine tahini, lemon juice and a splash of cold water and microwave about half a minute until hot, so it mixes in smoothly.

Add it to plain Greek yogurt with crushed garlic, a pinch of cayenne and salt; whisk until smooth, wrap and refrigerate.

Cut the pitas in half and pull each open; if they tear, warm them briefly in a pan to soften.

Stuff each half with one quarter of the meat, placed in the middle and pressed out toward the opening; small cracks seal as it cooks.

Heat a generous amount of olive oil over medium. Cook the stuffed pitas about 3 or 4 minutes per side until the meat is cooked through and the bread is golden and crispy; keep the heat from running too high.

Keep finished ones warm on a sheet pan in a warm oven while the rest cook.

Serve hot with lemon wedges and the tahini yogurt sauce, garnished with Aleppo pepper and parsley.