A Mediterreanean version of the ubiquitous layered Mexican dip, this goes together quickly and is
uniquely delicious. Use ground beef if you must; but lamb is authentic and does not have a "lamb-y" taste, no matter what you've always heard. ( what is a lamb-y taste anyway ?)This is a recipe from Food Network magazine and their photo as well. I find it curious, however, that they direct us to assemble the dip on a shallow dish, but they photographed it in a very deep dish, which would make dipping totally impossible. So take the photo with a grain of (sea) salt and enjoy this dip in a low, shallow saucer or dish. It's wonderful.
1 14-ounce package pita bread
Olive oil cooking spray or butter flavored Pam
4 teaspoons Greek seasoning, (total)
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1 pound ground lamb or ground beef
1 teaspoon garlic salt
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1 16-ounce container prepared hummus , any flavor
1 1/2 cups tzatziki (gyro sauce) - purchased, or use recipe below
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
2 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 diced red onion
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 4-ounce container crumbled feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with foil. Cut the pita rounds into eighths. Split each piece in two and place on the prepared baking sheet(s), with the inside of the bread facing up. Spray with the olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the Greek seasoning. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground lamb with the garlic salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning. Drain and set aside. In a shallow 1 1/2-quart dish, spread the hummus on the bottom. Top with a layer of ground lamb, then the tzatziki. Layer with the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives and feta. Serve the dip at room temperature with pita chips.
1 1/2 cups Tzatziki: 12 oz plain yogurt, 1 1/2 c peeled, seeded, diced cucumbers, 5 TB chopped red onion, 3 TB chopped fresh mint leaves - don't skip them!, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp minced garlic. To seed the cukes, slice lengthwise in quarters and just cut a V shape slice to remove the seedy centers. Combine everything and chill.
To make the dish lower sodium, buy a low sodium hummus or make your own. Use a low sodium pita, reduce or skip the olives & salt, garlic powder instead of garlic salt, and use crumbled goat cheese in place of the feta.
