Taken from quintessentially coastal cookbook, Beside the Seaside, these pitta fillings are a brilliant way to jazz up a beach picnic or barbecue.
Avoid soggy sandwiches with these superbly robust pitta pockets. Stock your store cupboard with jars of roasted peppers, pesto, tapenade and tahini – handy ready-made ingredients that instantly transform pitta pockets into something rather wonderful. Feta and halloumi cheese also have a relatively long shelf life and are well worth having in the fridge. Lightly toast each pitta bread until soft and puffed up, cut in half width-wise, prise open and get stuffing!
PITTA FILLINGS:
Greek salad drizzled with a tapenade dressing…
Combine equal quantities of chopped cucumber and tomato with a little sliced Cos lettuce and a scattering of mint leaves. Add a generous quantity of crumbled feta cheese and finely sliced red onion to taste. Pack the salad inside warm pitta pockets and dress with equal quantities of tapenade and olive oil whisked with a squeeze of lemon juice (allow approximately one tablespoon of dressing per pitta).
Griddled halloumi and courgettes with lemony tahini dressing…
Slice equal quantities of halloumi cheese and courgette (cut lengthways), brush with olive oil and cook on a hot griddle (or under a grill) until chargrilled and soft. Pop inside toasted pitta along with slices of juicy plum tomato and crispy watercress. Whisk together equal quantities of tahini, natural yoghurt and olive oil, add a good squeeze of lemon juice to thin the dressing and season to taste. Drizzle a tablespoon or so inside each pitta.
Hummus…
Hummus makes a fantastic filler. Spruce it up with a scoop of ready-made pesto: you can try rocket, red pepper or sun-dried tomato or stick to more traditional basil. Add as little or as much pesto as you like and fill each pitta along with slices of roast red pepper (available in jars) and rocket leaves.
Pesto…
Pesto is also rather good mixed with a dollop of mayonnaise and thick Greek yoghurt, combine with shredded cooked chicken breast, a little grated lemon zest and seasoning to taste. Pile the chicken mixture inside the pitta and top with a small handful of crisp pea shoots. Whichever filling you choose, wrap the completed pittas in greaseproof paper.
Recipe taken from Beside The Seaside, by Carolyn Caldicott. Published by Pimpernel Press (£12.99). Photographs: Chris Caldicott
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