Barbara Bretton: Wish You Were Here

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The Food Goddess is in the Kitchen! I am delighted beyond words to present my friend, my pal, Kali Amanda Browne (daughter of the beauteous and talented Marie) aka The Food Goddess. Enjoy!

Our Daily (Flat) Bread

Living in Brooklyn is an adventure. I absolutely love the place. There is something magical about it. It is 71 square miles of some of the most beautiful land in New York City. It is also a very diverse borough, with ethnic enclaves that span the globe. In fact, according to Census figures, more than 46% of Brooklyn's population speaks a language other than English at home. This makes for wonderful culinary adventures! Each neighborhood has specialty markets that carry ethnic foods, so that assimilation becomes a two-way street in Brooklyn and while immersion is voluntary, it is quite authentic.

Cultures may vary in many ways, but they all have one thing in common: bread.

Bay Ridge used to have a large contingent of Greeks years ago, but they've left for Queens and Staten Island. Their departure has since been replaced by other groups, including many Middle Eastern folks. Their influence has given us the pita, and we've made it as much ours and we did with the bagel.

Pita is the Aramaic word for "bread" and the pocket version has already been deeply ingrained into the palate of New Yorkers – usually as a healthier alternative for those watching their carbohydrate intake because it requires less of it to hold a sandwich together.

Because so many cultures develop differently, there are varieties of pita – in sizes, shapes, and thickness. In their places of origin, the pita is used to scoop up (hummus and yogurt), sop foods (soups and stews) and wrap foods (gyros, kebobs and falafel). Americans have incorporated the pita into their diets as something they recognize by filling the pockets into sandwiches. Me? I call it a Middle Eastern tortilla ...

I once had the equivalent of an open-faced sandwich that was fantastic. It was a pita with a hefty spread of hummus, topped with cucumber slices, roasted lamb and tomatoes. It was simple and extraordinary – hot and cold, savory and sweet, the veggies were crisp and the meat melted in your tongue.

If you cut the pocket pitas into small slices and toasted, creating a combination toast and chip that is quite charming and a healthier, lighter alternative to processed chips and gently holds a variety of appetizers. You may pre-brush them lightly with olive oil (or rubbed with cut garlic) and your favorite herbs. Pocket pitas may be cut into strips and added to soup for a hearty result. Flat bread, whole grain pitas may be chopped and used as stuffing.

Pita is simple bread made of simple ingredients: flour, salt, water, sugar, yeast and oil. There is a very easy recipe for making your own pita bread here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pitabread.

There is a pita that originates from Turkey and it is soft, chewy and flat (sans pocket) that is prepared almost like a pizza, or lahmacun – which literally means "meat with dough". The pita is baked with minced meat, such as lamb, with herbs and topped with lemon juice. There is a fabulous step-by-step recipe here: http://www.mansurovs.com/lahmacun-recipe.

If you are lucky enough to have a market that carries the flat pitas, buy a package of the medium sized disks and you can create the equivalent of personal sized mini-pizzas for an extraordinarily quick mid-week meal. Thicker pitas will hold a spreading of sauce and cheese, but brushing olive oil on the surface will act as a binding agent making for a healthier and lighter product. Along with a cup of soup or a small salad, this makes for a perfectly delicious and quick meal.

You can email me at kali.templeofdoom@gmail.com.