Beef with Yogurt in Pita Bread (Fetes Vodines Se Peta)

Fetes Vodines Se Peta is Greek street food at its finest. Thin strips of flank steak marinate in dry red wine, garlic, and oregano for an hour, then hit screaming hot butter for just two to three minutes until charred on the edges and still pink inside.

The red wine marinade does more than flavor the meat. The acid in the wine starts breaking down the tough fibers in the flank steak, making thin-sliced strips tender enough to eat stuffed inside pita. Oregano and garlic give it that unmistakable Greek character.

Cook the beef in two batches. This is important. If you dump a pound of cold marinated meat into the pan at once, the temperature drops and the beef steams instead of searing. Two batches, high heat, fast cooking. You want browning, not grey boiled meat.

Everything goes out on the table family-style: hot beef in a chafing dish, warm pitas, and bowls of chopped lettuce, tomato, diced cucumber, and plain yogurt. Everyone builds their own, loading as much or as little as they want. It’s casual, interactive, and the kind of dinner that keeps people at the table talking.

Pro Tips

• Slice the steak against the grain as thin as you can manage. Partially freezing it for 20 minutes makes thin slicing much easier
• Drain the marinade well before searing. Excess liquid in the pan prevents browning
• Keep the cooked beef warm on a hot tray or in a low oven while you cook the second batch
• Thick Greek yogurt works better than thin yogurt here since it clings to the meat instead of dripping out the bottom of the pita

Variations

• Use lamb leg steaks instead of beef for a more traditional Greek flavor
• Add a drizzle of tahini sauce alongside the yogurt
• Toss sliced red onion and a sprinkle of sumac into the toppings for extra tang