Pita Sandwiches with Pork Cutlets and Tahini Sauce

From Weber's Real Grilling™

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Grilling Time: 2 minutes

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

1/3 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Rub:

1/2 teaspoon pure chile powder (we suggest Nirmala's Wild Fire Chili Blend)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 (10 oz.) Pork Tenderloin, cut into 4 (5 oz.) pieces
Extra virgin olive oil
4 pitas (6 inches), cut in half
2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup roughly chopped ripe tomato
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the sauce: In a medium bowl, mix the sauce ingredients with 1/3 cup water until smooth.

2. To make the rub: In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the rub ingredients with your fingertips.

3. Place the tenderloin pieces between two large sheets of plastic wrap. Using a mallet or rolling pin, lightly pound the chops into 1/4-inch-thick cutlets. Allow the cutlets to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Lightly brush or spray both sides of the cutlets with oil and season with the rub. Grill over direct high heat for 2 minutes, turning once. Transfer the cutlets to a cutting board and cut each in half. Fill each pita half with pork, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. Spoon the sauce inside. Serve warm.

Jamie Purviance

Chef, author, and our friend Jamie Purviance earned degrees from Stanford University and the Culinary Institute of America (where he graduated at the top of his class, with high honors). His work has appeared in Bon Appétit, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and Town & Country. He is the author of Weber's Art of the Grill™ and co-author of Weber's Big Book of Grilling™ with Sandra S. McRae, both best-selling cookbooks.

Purviance has been a guest chef at the James Beard House in New York City, and he frequently travels the country to teach at renowned cooking schools such as Johnson & Wales University and Sur La Table. He has been certified by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, and he serves as a judge at major competitions such as the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational.

Purviance has been featured on many television shows-including NBC's "Today," CBS's "Early Show," and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." He also develops recipes and menu ideas for leading restaurants and food manufacturers.

He is also the author of Weber's Real Grilling™, a groundbreaking new cookbook that features a full-color photograph with each of the 200-plus recipes and step-by-step photography for essential grilling techniques.

Purviance lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.