Spicy Beef Pitta with Mozzarella and Hummus

My local butcher shop is a great place. It's even better when they're offering two pounds of round steak mince for the price of one. I had gone in for some of my favourite sliced meat, beef tongue, when I spotted the deal sheet on the counter. I decided it was too good to turn down and talked myself into buying a pound of pork mince too. A pound of beef and the pork went into a delicious Ragu that now finds itself in portion sized tubs in my freezer but it was the other pound of mince that got the special treatment.

Minced beef is a very versatile ingredient that can be cooked in a variety of ways. For awhile now, I've wanted to come up with a general purpose spicy beef recipe and took the opportunity at the weekend. A pitta was the obvious accompaniment while the Irish Mozzarella adds a silky finish that works perfectly. This recipe makes about 6 pittas which are great served with sweet potato chips and stir-fried vegetables.

Serves 6

For the Mince:

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp Cumin Seed
1-2 tbsp Harissa Paste
500g good quality Minced Beef
500g Tomato Passata
1 tsp Dried Marjoram or Oregano
1 handfull of Cashew Nuts (chopped)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For assembly:

6 Wholemeal Pitta Breads
Hummus
3 balls of Irish Buffalo Mozzarella (or Italian) (sliced)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion. Season well, stir and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cumin seed and cook for 1-2 minutes longer being careful not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the harissa paste and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

2. Add the minced beef and season well. Stir well to incorporate everything and cook for 5-7 minutes until the beef is well browned. Add the passata and bring to a simmer before adding the marjoram/oregano. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the Cashew Nuts and cook uncovered for ten minutes to thicken. Set aside.

4. Assemble the pittas by slicing them and opening out flat. Spread a good layer of hummus on one side, add the mozzarella on top and season with a little salt and plenty of pepper. Put a good layer of beef mince on the other side and close the pitta. Repeat with all 6 before wrapping tightly in kitchen foil and cooking in a pre-heated 190 degree oven for ten minutes. Serve with sweet potato chips and stir-fried vegetables.