Turkey Pitas With Cucumbers, Chickpeas and Tahini
These vibrant, crunchy, creamy turkey sandwiches have all the flavors of falafel, but without the frying. They’ve got a lemony tahini dressing, soft chickpeas, and a cumin-scented tomato and cucumber salad, all packed into pitas with leftover turkey (use dark or white meat). The pickled red onions give these a wonderful brightness, and they’re well worth the 10 extra minutes they take to make.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- ½cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch of granulated sugar
- ¼cup tahini
- 1fat garlic clove, grated
- 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1cup diced cucumber
- ½cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2pitas with pockets, halved through the equator
- 10ounces cooked turkey, shredded or thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
- ½cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- ½cup mint leaves and tender stems
- Hot sauce, such as zhug or Tabasco (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together onion, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt, cumin and sugar. Let sit for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.Step 2
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together tahini, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, pinch of salt and 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water to thin the sauce. It should be thick but pourable. Taste, and add more salt and lemon juice, if needed.Step 3
Into the bowl with onions, stir in chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes and oil. Taste, and add more salt and lemon juice if needed.Step 4
In each pita half, layer turkey, then drizzle with tahini-lemon mixture. Add spoonfuls of chickpea salad, cilantro and mint. Drizzle liberally with more tahini sauce and zhug, if you like.