It’s a wrap: How to make creative meals to go
From tortillas and flatbreads to lettuce, grape leaves and rice paper, wraps have been around forever. But over the past few decades, wraps have become almost as popular as sandwiches in American restaurants and kitchens. And around Atlanta, some of the city’s best chefs are making them a grab-and-go art form.
At Yalla at Krog Street Market, the food stall menu features Middle Eastern small plates with shawarma, kebabs, falafel and sabich — all conceived by executive chef and partner Todd Ginsberg, with a dash of Israeli street food flair.
“At its core, at a falafel or shawarma joint, you’re going to get it in pita or laffa,” Ginsberg said. “We brought bowls over here as a gluten-free option. But in Israel, you wouldn’t find that traditionally.”
One of Ginsberg’s most recent creations is a sort of Southern-Middle Eastern hybrid, with roasted sweet potatoes and red pepper hummus stuffed into a pita pocket and topped with whipped feta dressing, red peppers and herbs.
“I like this recipe a lot because feta and sweet potatoes aren’t something you’d find together that often, but they’re a great flavor combination, between the sweetness of the sweet potato and that briny, salty cheese,” Ginsberg said. “I also wanted to incorporate red peppers because they go so well together with sweet potatoes. They’re all comforting flavors but in a different combination.”
At Poco Loco in Kirkwood, chef Nick Melvin is offering an ever-changing weekly burrito menu, including Austin-style breakfast burritos, and a weekly provisions menu with the likes of charred salsa verde, charro beans, and house-made tortillas for sale.
“Wraps work because people don’t want to wait,” Melvin said. “During COVID, people got used to a crazy, hectic lifestyle. Like a biscuit sandwich, wraps are comforting. It’s something you can eat in your hand while you’re driving a car or sending an email.”
Melvin’s recently made a wrap that isn’t on the menu at Poco Loco. But he shared the recipe for what he simply calls a grilled chicken BLT burrito. It includes romaine lettuce, fresh veggies instead of salsa, and a spiced crema with barbecue sauce instead of mayo.
“It’s something I thought of that would be simple for home cooks,” Melvin said. “It’s approachable, but it’s really flavorful. And it’s really fresh and light with the vegetables coming into play. The chicken isn’t heavily marinated or brined, it’s just grilled. And the end product is much more than the sum of its parts.”
Pano Karatassos, the executive chef of the modern Buckhead Greek restaurant, Kyma, recently launched Lamb Shack — a ghost kitchen serving build-your-own pita wraps, as well as appetizers, sides and desserts.
“The focus of what I’m doing right now with these wraps is bringing in fresh, healthy, high-quality ingredients,” Karatassos said. “I list all the farms on the menu so everybody can look them up and see the focus on quality.”
In his cookbook, “Modern Greek Cooking: 100 Recipes for Meze, Entrees, and Desserts” (Rizzoli, $37.50), Karatassos presents many of the dishes he honed at Kyma. But one of the simplest is also one of the most important — a recipe for pita bread that originated with his Greek grandmother.
“Let’s face it, the wrap is about the pita bread,” Karatassos said. “My pita recipe is foolproof. I’ve got the big bulk recipe that I use at Kyma. But if I just want to make some pita at home, I pull out my own cookbook. To mix it all together and put it in a bowl is like five minutes. You just need to let it rise, then roll it out, and grill it.”
RECIPES
These international wrap recipes include chicken BLT burritos, Laotian lettuce wraps, homemade pita bread, and sweet potato pockets.
Grilled Chicken BLT Burrito With BBQ Crema
This recipe from Atlanta chef Nick Melvin of burrito concept Poco Loco is a take on a BLT wrapped up in a flour tortilla. Melvin calls it super simple, and “more than the sum of its parts.” And as burritos go, it’s a bit lighter, with grilled chicken, fresh veggies instead of salsa, and a spiced crema instead of mayo. With all that, kids might like finding it in their lunchbox.
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into strips
- 8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp (Pine Street Market recommended)
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped English cucumbers
- 2 avocados, peeled, seeded and diced
- 4 large flour tortillas (available at Poco Loco)
- For the BBQ Crema:
- 2/3 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- To make the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the cream, barbecue sauce, chili powder and cumin until well-combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
- To serve: Spread a couple of tablespoons of the crema down the middle of each tortilla.
- Top with chicken slices, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado.
- Roll up, cut in half, and enjoy. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 855 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 44 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams fiber, 50 grams total fat (14 grams saturated), 139 milligrams cholesterol, 968 milligrams sodium.
Laotian Larb Lettuce Wraps
This unofficial national dish of Laos also can be made with chicken, beef or firm tofu. But tender ground pork seems to be the favorite. Fish sauce and lime juice brighten it up, and blend with the spicy and herbal flavors of chile pepper, shallots, scallions, cilantro and mint. Wrap it up in lettuce for a pretty, crunchy presentation, or arrange the ingredients on a platter for a DYI buffet.
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon toasted rice powder (available at Asian markets)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 red chile pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, stemmed and chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup mint, stemmed and chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 head butter or Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated for serving
- Add oil to a wok or large saute pan and warm over high heat. When oil begins to smoke, add the ground pork and stir-fry until the pork is browned. Add the toasted rice powder, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice.
- Add the chile, shallots, scallions, cilantro and mint, and stir-fry for 2 more minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more chile, fish sauce and sugar as desired.
- To serve: Spoon into lettuce cups or arrange on a platter with the lettuce and additional mint and cilantro. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 214 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 26 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 8 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 67 milligrams cholesterol, 462 milligrams sodium.
Homemade Pita Bread
In his cookbook, “Modern Greek Cooking: 100 Recipes for Meze, Entrees, and Desserts” (Rizzoli, $37.50), Atlanta chef Pano Karatassos presents dishes he honed at Kyma, his acclaimed Greek seafood restaurant. But this surprisingly easy pita bread recipe goes back to his grandmother, Athanasian. The raised dough is pinched into pieces, rolled into rounds, and grilled. The result: slightly charred, yeasty pita, perfect for wraps.
- 5 1/2 cups bread flour
- 3 (1/4-ounce) packets active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey (Greek preferred)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 1/2 cups room temperature water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup good-quality olive oil, plus more for brushing
- To make the pita dough: In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, yeast, honey, salt, water, milk and olive oil. Beat at low speed, scraping down the sides, until a soft, smooth dough forms, 6-7 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Brush the bowl from the mixer with oil and return the dough ball to the bowl and coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Brush a baking sheet with oil. Gently press down the dough. Pinch it into 12 pieces. Using oiled cupped hands, shape the dough pieces into balls and transfer them to a baking sheet. Cover the sheet loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough balls rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll balls into 7- or 8-inch rounds, lifting the dough and giving it a quarter turn before each pass. Using a fork, prick the pitas all over to prevent a pocket from forming. Transfer the pita to a floured baking sheet and cover with waxed paper.
- To grill the pita: Heat a grill or grill pan. Working in batches, lightly brush the tops of the pitas with oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill the pitas oiled side down over medium-high heat until charred on the bottoms, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Turn the pitas and grill until cooked through, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Keep warm until ready to serve, wrapped in a clean kitchen towel. Makes 12 pitas.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per pita round: 303 calories (percent of calories from fat, 19), 11 grams protein, 51 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 6 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 1 milligram cholesterol, 491 milligrams sodium.
Roasted Sweet Potato Pockets With Whipped Feta Dressing
In this new variation on a pita wrap first served at Yalla in Atlanta, chef Todd Ginsberg said he wanted to do something different from the traditional shawarma and falafel. He ended up using that popular Southern vegetable, the sweet potato. Paired with whipped feta dressing, Ginsberg calls it a great combination of sweet and salty. Creamy red pepper hummus and hot Fresno chiles tie the familiar flavors together in unexpected ways. Use red peppers to make it milder.
- 4 pita pockets
- 1 container red pepper hummus
- Roasted sweet potatoes (recipe follows)
- Whipped feta dressing (recipe follows)
- 2 Fresno chiles or 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch mint, roughly chopped
- For the roasted sweet potatoes:
- 3 large, sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- For the whipped feta dressing:
- 1 cup feta
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch salt
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, brown sugar, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper and chili powder. Transfer to a large sheet pan and roast for 1/2 hour or until fork tender. Ovens vary, so watch not to burn the sweet potatoes.
- In a food processor or blender, pulse feta, yogurt, water, garlic, olive oil, pepper and salt until it looks super creamy.
- Note: Passing the dressing through a fine mesh strainer is optional, but will result in a creamier, silkier texture.
- To assemble: Warm the pita and cut off the tops to make a pocket.
- Spread red pepper hummus into the interior of each of the pita pockets and stuff with roasted sweet potatoes.
- Laying the stuffed pitas onto the palm of your hand, slightly squeeze the sides with the tops facing upward.
- Drizzle the sweet potatoes with whipped feta dressing and top with peppers, scallions, cilantro and mint. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 497 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 16 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, 32 grams total fat (9 grams saturated), 37 milligrams cholesterol, 1,103 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
