Greek Souvlaki Cheat Sheet Recipes

AUTHENTIC GREEK SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• In a bowl mix fresh herbs, onion slices, olive oil, vinegar, honey, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Place meat in a large pan and add the marinade. I like to massage the meat a little with the marinade mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and let it marinate from 3-4 hours to overnight in the fridge.
• Take it out of the refrigerator 1/2 hour ahead of cooking so it can get to room temperature.
• Cut the tomatoes into thin slices, add them to a medium bowl. Add the sliced onion, and the crumbled feta cheese. Season with sea salt to taste. Sprinkle some dried oregano. Drizzle olive oil and a tsp or so of red wine vinegar.
• Mix well but gently and let it sit for at least half an hour ahead of the souvlaki assembly.
• Add 2-3 tbs of olive oil to a cast-iron grilling pan or the pan of your choice. Let it heat up almost to the point of smoke. add the meat 2-3 slices at a time. You don't want to add more because the temperature will go down and the meat will boil instead of the grill.
• Cook meat for 2-3 minutes for each side. I always do a test drive; cooking time changes depending on how thin my meat slices are.
• On the same pan, you cooked your meat, clean it lightly with a paper towel, drizzle a little olive oil and grill the pitas to warm them up. This will allow them to get some of that charred, smoked flavor.
• Take a pita bread, add two-three slices of meat, 2-3 full tablespoons of tomato & onion filling, and 2 tbs of tzatziki. Wrap it up in parchment paper just like they do in Greece and enjoy!

GREEK SOUVLAKI CHICKEN WINGS

Steps:

• Combine the lemon juice, garlic and 2 tablespoons salt in a blender and blend on low until smooth. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the mixture to a medium bowl and reserve for the yogurt sauce. To the remaining garlic-lemon mixture still in the blender, add the olive oil, wine, mint and oregano and blend until evenly combined. Pour the marinade into a large bowl and add the chicken wings. Sprinkle with some pepper and toss to coat evenly, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: Add the yogurt and dill to the bowl containing the reserved garlic-lemon mixture, season with pepper and stir until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Preheat a grill to medium heat. Lightly brush the grill grates with vegetable oil, then grill the chicken wings, turning often to prevent burning, until golden brown, lightly charred at the edges and cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer the wings to a serving platter and season with salt. Drizzle with yogurt sauce and sprinkle with crumbled feta. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

CHICKEN AND PORK SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• For the chicken and pork: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, oregano, salt, Aleppo pepper, black pepper and garlic.
• Place the chicken and pork into 2 separate mixing bowls. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken and the other half over the pork. Marinate, refrigerated, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Remove the chicken and pork from the marinade, allowing excess to drain off. Keeping the chicken and pork on separate skewers, thread 4 pieces of meat onto each skewer towards the top and covering the tip of the skewer.
• Place the skewers on the direct-heat side of the grill to char on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Then move to the indirect-heat side of the grill, cover with the lid and cook until the chicken and pork are cooked through, about 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees F and the pork reaches 145 degrees F. Stack the skewers on a platter.
• For the onions and lemons: Drizzle the onions and lemons with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the direct-heat side of the grill. Cook the lemons until charred, about 3 minutes. Cook the onions until tender, about 3 minutes per side.
• Add the onions and lemons to the platter with the souvlaki. Serve with romaine, pita and tzatziki.