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Souvlaki

Introduction & method

Souvlaki is a very well-known Greek dish consisting of chunks of lamb or pork marinated in a herby, lemony concoction that tenderises the meat. It can be served on the skewers or pulled off and stuffed into pitta bread.

 Souvlaki Recipe

Souvlaki marinade


Remove any unwanted fat from the meat and cut it into 3cm (a bit over an inch) chunks. Mix the oil and lemon juice together - really, you should have twice as much oil as you have lemon juice. Stir in the oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, then add the chunks of meat and mix thoroughly so all the meat is coated. Put everything into a freezer bag or plastic storage box. Place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Assemble the skewers, prep veg


Choice of skewers is up to you - metal or bamboo. If you choose bamboo, soak them in water for an hour or two before using. Thread chunks of meat onto the skewers, leaving a space between them. I sometimes do skewers with bits of bell pepper, onion or tomato between the meat chunks. Thinly slice the onion and tomatoes.

Cook the souvlaki amd veggies


You can grill your skewers, or cook them on a barbecue, or on a griddle pan. Whichever method you choose, you want it hot hot hot! Pop the skewers on and the onion and tomato beside them, cook for about 3 minutes, turn them over, another 3 minutes, and they should be done. Transfer to a warm plate, tent with foil and rest for 5-10 minutes (the food, not you).

Serve the souvlaki


You can leave the meat on the skewers and serve with a wedge of lemon, salad, tzatziki and pitta bread. Alternatively, you can split open a pitta and stuff it with salad, tzatziki and the meat and veg removed from the skewer.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Souvlaki on YouTube.

 
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Ingredients & Info



 500 grams lamb or pork shoulder
 1 medium red onion
 2 tomatoess
 juice of 1 lemon
 5 tbsp olive oil
 1 tsp oregano
 half a tsp cayenne pepper
 half a tsp ground black pepper
 half a tsp salt

PLUS

Lettuce to garnish. Lemon wedges to serve.


UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Makes 4 -6 skewers
Prep time: 10 minutes.
Marinading time: 2-4 hours.
Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes.