Iskender Kebab

Ingredients

• 1½ lb lamb or beef doner meat, thinly sliced
• 4 count pita bread
• 15 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 clove garlic
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 3500F (1750C). Cut pita bread into 1-inch squares and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted and crisp.
2. For the tomato sauce, mince the garlic. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thinly sliced doner meat and cook until browned and slightly crispy, about 5-7 minutes. If using pre-cooked meat, simply heat through.
4. Arrange the toasted pita squares on serving plates. Top generously with the cooked doner meat.
5. Spoon the warm tomato sauce over the meat and pita. Dollop a generous amount of plain yogurt on the side of each plate.
6. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. If desired, add red pepper flakes to the melted butter and heat for 30 seconds until fragrant.
7. Drizzle the melted butter (with or without pepper flakes) over the entire dish. Garnish with fresh parsley, if using, and serve immediately.