This Venison Arayes recipe is perfect for this fall! It is simple and has a unique flavor that I am sure everyone will enjoy!
Since having an extended hiatus from my page, I knew when I came back I wanted the recipe I made to be unique and super easy.. especially since I have a baby attached to me 24/7 now. That being said, I did some research and stumbled upon the Lebanese or Middle Eastern dish called “Arayes”. It looked delicious and many of the recipes I saw were under 45 minutes, a dream.
With deer season upon us, I knew many of you would be bringing home venison or might even have venison in the freezer that is needing a new way to be used. This seemed like a fantastic option, so I started researching and cooking.
I have been playing around with several unique recipe ideas, but they all seemed to be missing something that made the restaurant versions a tier higher… BUT this one… this recipe.. CHEF’S KISS! It is everything and more!
I have seen several ways of cooking arayes, from solely in the oven, to just stovetop, to the grill. I think the best way to get a toasty outside is on the stovetop or grill. I will go into more detail for the stovetop in the instructions, but depending on the thickness of your arayes will depend on how you cook them. Obviously, the thicker they are the longer they will need, so keep that in mind if you are in a hurry.
While I am a mom of a baby barely starting solids, I know the importance of sneaking vegetables into your food for littles. This is the perfect recipe for that. All of the vegetables get blended up and mixed into the meat, so your little chickadees will never know that something they don’t like is in them! They will be too hypnotized by the deliciousness in front of them!
For my first recipe back after a long break, I really hope y’all enjoy this one as much as my family did!
Venison Arayes
Equipment
- food processor or blender
- Grill if not cooking on stovetop
Ingredients
Arayes
- 1 lb ground venison
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 C parsley
- 1/2 C cilantro
- 1 T harissa I used the spicy kind
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp sumac
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 T olive oil or more
- 3 pita or more depending on how much filling. Cut in half.
Optional topping- Butter Drizzle
- 1 T butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp harissa
Tahini Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 C tahini
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1 lemon
- salt to taste
- water til desired consistency reached
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 C plain yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber grated and strained of excess moisture
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- .5 oz mint finely chopped
- salt to taste
Toppings
- pickled red onions
- feta I used a local farms goat feta
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor combine all of the ingredients under the "Arayes" section EXCEPT for the venison, pita, and olive oil. If the ingredients are not mixing, add a small amount of olive oil.
- Once fully mixed, combine the venison and the blended ingredients in a bowl. The mixture is going to be a little wet, but that is what is going to make them delicious and juicy.
- Take your halved pita slices and start filling them with the meat mixture. You can make them fat, but they will take a bit longer to cook. Thin or fat they are both delicious and up to the users discretion.
Cooking:
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Make sure the pan is fully heated before cooking.
- Brush the sides of the pitas with olive oil.
- Thin: Cook the pitas on each side for 3-5 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked (160℉). Do not over crowd the pan. I did 2 at a time.
- Thick: Start by cooking the pitas meat side down. I did this two at a time. Once the meat is browned (1-2 minutes), flip on to its side cooking each side for 3-5 minutes. Your meat should be fully cooked (160℉), however, if you are struggling to get it to temperature and do not want to burn the outside of the pita, you can finish cooking them in a 350℉ oven on a sheet pan for 12-15 minutes.
Tahini Sauce
- Combine all ingredients (I shook mine in a small mason jar) adding water only if you want the sauce to be more thin.
Yogurt Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.
Additional Toppings
- If you are making the butter, I liked it because it gave a nice extra little buttery-ness to the dish BUT not neccessary, melt the butter and mix the ingredients together. Brush over the ends of the arayes.
- Top with other desired toppings.
