Greek Souvlaki

While hitchhiking through Greece in 1965 and driving through the country in 1976, both times heading to Istanbul, souvlaki was a quick street food.-Mike

Chicken, pork, or lamb is grilled on a skewer and served with many side ingredients and dishes.

Cooking food on spits or skewers dates back to the Bronze Age Greece. It was popular on the island of Santorini back in 2000 BCE. Even after the 17th century BCE Thera volcanic eruption, which destroyed the Minoan settlement on Crete 120 miles south, skewers were found in its aftermath thousands of years later.

Σουβλάκι (Greek)

Καλαμάκι "small reed"

(common name in Athens)

Serves 4

4 boneless skinless organic chicken breast cut into 1 1/2-inch (4 cm) cubes

or

1 pound (455 g) organic pork tenderloin or lamb cut into 1 1/2-inch (4 cm) cubes 

1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil

2 Tbs. organic lemon juice

3 minced organic garlic cloves

2 tsp. (4 g) dried each: oregano and parsley

dash of black pepper and Himalayan salt

(3 broken into pieces bay leaves for pork)

(1/2 cup = 120 ml of white wine for pork)

tzatziki sauce*

ένα / EN-a/ 1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a resealable plastic bag.

δύο /THEE-oh/ 2. Add the cut chicken/pork/lamb. Squeeze out exces air.

τρία /TREE-a/ 3. Place in the refrigerator and marinade the chicken for 30 minutes. 

                                 Marinate the pork/lamb for 24 hours or up to 5 days. Save the marina for basting.

τέσσερα /TESS-air-uh/ 4. Preheat the outdoor grill or stove still for medium heat.

πέντε /PEN-day/ 5. Thread the chicken or lamb pieces onto the skewers.

                                      Thread the pork with broken bay leaves between the cubes.

έξι /EX-ee/ 6. Cook the chicken skewers for 3-4 minutes on each side. Inside temperature 165F/74C.

                          Cook the pork/lamb for 10 minutes, turning and basting. Cook about 5 minutes more. Inside temperature 145F/63C

εφτά /EF-TA/ 7. Serve with (your choice):

• tzatziki sauce
• (gluten-free) pita bread
• sliced organic: tomatoes, onions, fried potatoes, bell peppers, olives, cucumbers, shredded white cabbage, etc

 *tzatziki sauce

Adjust the amount to taste:

1 cup (130 g) organic grated cucumber, squeeze our as much of the water as possible

(dairy-free) yogurt

1 Tbs. (15 ml) each: olive oil balsamic vintager, and organic lemon juice

1 tsp. (2 g) chopped dill

1 Tbs. (15 g) organic garlic

oκτώ /oc-TOH/ 8.  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

εννιά /en-NAY/ 9. Cover and refrigerator for at least an hour.

Try some of the Greek dishes: https://veggiefernandezs.blogspot.com/search/label/Greek