A couple of weeks ago Chris and I took a little day trip to the Greek Island, Kastelorizo. It was a perfect day with one exception; no Greek Gyro. The entire week before I had been drooling over the thought of a gyro. The problem was that most places don't start up their rotisseries until after 3pm and that's when we had to catch our ferry back to Turkey. Well, I couldn't let it go - I just had to have a gyro; even if it meant making it myself!

Kastelorizo, Greece.

The Arabic shawarma and Mexican tacos al pastor are similar to gyros and they are all derived from the Turkish döner kebab. The short explanation is a kind of meat (pork, lamb, or chicken) slowly roasted on a rotisserie. In Greece the gyro is usually served in fresh pita bread stuffed with tomatoes, onions, tzatziki sauce, and sometimes french fries. About.com has a good explanation on how the layers of meat are spiced and skewered onto the rotisserie. They are delicious. For years I have been saying to Chris, "I can't wait until we get to Greece and can have real Gyros!" (my last visit being in 2001).

Before I get into the recipe - a quick word on the pronunciation of gyro. I think you will find that in America (including many Greek restaurants) most people pronounce gyro as JYE-roe or GEE-roh. However, the more accurate Greek pronunciation is closer to YEE-roe (with no real distinguishable G or J sound). Just something to keep in mind should you actually travel to Greece. The truly accurate pronunciation is quite difficult for Americans as the word is spelled with an initial gamma ('jiros), which is generally pronounced as a palatal glide before the front vowels (or more simply put a very soft G) - which most Americans (including myself) can't imitate.

I think you'll find this recipe makes pretty tasty Gyros, but if you've ever had an authentic one you'll know that there is no substitute for the rotisserie (but hey, sometimes you've got to compromise). I've included a recipe for pita bread and tzatziki sauce; both of which you can also buy in most grocery stores (if you're looking for a quick & easy dish). This is also a great make-ahead dish. When I made it for our friends I got everything chopped up and ready to go the morning of and when they arrived all I had to do was throw the skewers on the BBQ and warm up the pitas.

Gyros
2 lbs lamb, cut into small, thin cubes *
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 tsp fresh oregano
2 large red onions, cut into thinly sliced rings
3 tomatoes, chopped
6-8 pita bread rounds (recipe below or store bought)
Tzatziki sauce (recipe below or store bought)

It is best to marinate the lamb overnight - this really helps tenderize it and soaks in the flavor. Combine oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade. Mix the lamb with the remaining marinade and refrigerate overnight (refrigerate reserved marinade separately).

It is best to marinate the onions for a few hours (overnight cause the onions to start and break down). Combine the reserved marinade with the sliced onions and refrigerate several hours. Occasionally stir (or shake) to mix well. Before serving lift onions out of the marinade with a slotted spoon.

Thread lamb onto skewers and grill about 10 minutes (turning & basting often) or until lamb is nicely browned on the outside but slightly pink inside. * I like to chop my lamb pretty thin; just large enough to get it onto a skewer. This makes it closer to an authentic gyro where they fill the pita with slices of meat.

Serve cooked meat with onions, tomatoes, tzatziki and warm pita breads. I like to serve it buffet or family-style; letting each person fill their own pita with desired amount of meat and condiments.

Makes about 6-8 Gyros

Tzatziki
2 cucumbers
400g (14oz) Greek-sytle (thick) plain yogurt *
3 garlic cloves, minced (more to taste)
3 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Cut the cucumbers in half and scoop out the seeds (discard). Leave the skins on and coarsley grate the cucumbers. Place into a small colander and sprinkle with salt; leave to drain for 15 minutes.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl until well combined.

Rinse the cucumber under cold water and, in small handfuls, squeeze out any excess moisture. Combine the cucumber with the yogurt mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I find it's good to let this sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving so that the flavors blend (it will keep in the refrigerator for 2-4 days), however it can be served immediately. Garnish with additional mint.

* If you are unable to find a thick yogurt, you can strain regular yogurt through a cheesecloth. Spoon yogurt into a cheesecloth and tie edges with string. Suspend over a bowl or place in a colander and let stand to drain for several hours. The moisture will drip from the yogurt.

Makes 2 cups

Pita Bread
5 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg (~ 2 1/4 tsp) dry yeast *
1 3/4 cups warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

In a large bowl mix 4 cups of flour with salt.

* If you are using a rapid-rise yeast you can mix it directly with the dry ingredients and then stir in hot water (~130 F) and oil. If you are using an active dry yeast (not instant) then add the yeast to 1 cup of warm water (~ 100-115 F) with the sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy, and then add to the dry ingredients with the remaining water and oil.

Stir in enough of the remaining 1 cup of flour to make a soft dough. Turn out to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Place in a large clean bowl, cover loosely with lightly oiled clear wrap and leave to rise, for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Knock back the dough. On a lightly floured surface divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into smooth balls. Cover loosely and let rest 5 minutes. Roll out each ball; either into ovals or round circles - approximately 6-8 inches (long or diameter pending desired shape) and 1/4 inch thick.

Place on a floured dish towel (or surface), cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly sprinkle un-greased baking sheets with cornmeal. Place pitas on sheets and cook 4-6 minutes, or until puffed up; they do not need to be browned. You can cook the pitas in batches, but be sure that the oven has reached the recommended temperature before the pita breads are baked (this ensures that they puff up).

Best served warm. If making ahead of time, place stacks into foil and heat on the BBQ (or oven) just before serving.

Makes 12 pita
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Continue reading "The Greek Gyro" and recipe ...

One of the best things about traveling is the food. With a new country comes endless new dishes, new smells, and tastes potentially never explored before. As someone who lives abroad and moves country to country these culinary experiences are further enhanced as I learn to cook & eat traditional foods & dishes. But it's not all a mouth-watering experience. Shopping can be a long tiring task full of charades, misunderstandings, and wrong choices. Chris & I enjoy the out of the way places, but that means HUGE language barriers. Since we move around a lot we don't own (for budgetary and spacial reasons) a dictionary for every language. And, unfortunately phrase books don't usually cover substantial grocery shopping.

Finike has been especially entertaining. It's a terrific town, and one of the things I love about it is that it's not overrun with tourists. The flip side of that is that few people speak English (and I, sadly, speak no Turkish). There are two rather large grocery markets. Of course, I use the term large loosely, and am using the cruiser's definition of the word. Forget your big super-chain store; think maybe eight aisles - that's SMALL aisles (probably 1/4-1/2 the size of a big super-chain aisle). So, right off the bat your selection is limited - but it can be a good thing, since just about everything is in Turkish and if the store was much larger or had more selection you'd just waste your time trying to figure out what everything was. The good news is just about all packaging these days has some type of photo on - so it's shop by picture. Of course it doesn't always work - like when I brought home tomato paste thinking it was tomato sauce.

The hardest items are dairy & meat products. The yogurt & cheese selection is large, but they all look almost identical. The only way is to buy & try. I can tell you that they make some really thick yogurt and really salty cheeses - oh and watch out for what looks like fresh milk but is really some form of buttermilk (not so good for cereal).

Remember the days when all the meat was behind the butcher's counter? That's Finike. It's actually kind of nice - the meat is ultra fresh, and if you can figure out how to communicate, you can get it cut up to your liking. My first failure at the meat counter was chicken. Easy enough; I pointed at the chicken and said "chicken breasts". I wasn't paying much attention (my fault) and ended up coming up with chicken thighs - no problem, but not going to work for the fig & feta stuffed chicken breasts I was hoping to make! Next I wanted to try the lamb. There are a couple of small butcher shops that sell fresh lamb. The first time I stopped by I was lucky to have my friend Kimberly with me. The butcher presented a lovely leg of lamb to me with a huge bone jutting out. He asked "okay?". I started to say okay, thinking he was just asking before he de-boned the meat. Luckily Kimberly stepped in and with five minutes worth of head shakes and hand waving got it across that I didn't want the bone.

The second time I went for lamb I was hoping to get it minced (ground). I've seen minced lamb on the pides, so I know it must be possible. I asked first at the market - as I ordered my minced beef I pointed to it and said "lamb". He said "yes", but after he handed me the beef he just smiled. I tried again asking for "minced" "ground" "small" lamb all the while making huge hand motions. He still said yes but then added "new meat". I walked away with no lamb ... all I can figure is that he could maybe mince it, but I had to come back when they got a new order in??? I went from there to the next market and tried again. This butcher really acted like he understood. He picked out a piece of lamb, showed it to me and got out his knife. This is going to be great, I'm thinking. Until I see him take a huge swing at the lamb and cut a big chunk piece off - bone and all. He shows me the piece and asks "okay". Back to the hand gestures and head shaking; I at least get it across that I don't want the bone in it, but I never did get it minced. And when I realized that I was paying for the bone anyway I went ahead and asked for the bone pieces too. He must have thought I was crazy - why'd he do all that work if I was going to take the bone anyway!!!

My third attempt at lamb I wasn't giving up on the mince. After trying at market-one again I gave up and went back to the very first guy (to be honest I was thinking the guy at market-two would still remember me from the week before and taking the bone after he had worked so hard to cut it out and was slightly embarrassed to return to him so soon). But I struck out with the butcher. No amount head shaking, pointing, gesturing could get the guy to understand that I didn't want the bone ... forget about minced, at this point I was just going for boneless. I thought I had it at one point because he got out his big 'ol butcher knife, but then proceeded to only chop off the two-inches or so of meatless bone that was sticking out. But I'm stubborn and Greek Gyros were on the menu, so I came home with a huge chunk of lamb - bone and all, and had my first lamb de-boning experience. (Hint: have a really sharp knife and avoid your fingers at all costs).

There have been a number of other mishaps, but I think you get the idea. The key to shopping foreign is being flexible - be ready to change your supper plans on the spot!

And to not leave you without a recipe here is a quick and easy mint pesto that is to die for. Perfert for a lamb roast (stuff it right inside and spread on top) or as a condiment to BBQ'ed lamb. I found the flavor of this pesto really comes out nicely if you can let the pesto sit for 4 hours or overnight, but don't worry if you don't have that kind of time - you'll love it even without the wait time.

Mint Pesto
1/2 cup pistachios (shelled)
6 large garlic cloves
2 cups fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Chop pistachios and garlic in processor. Add the 2 cups mint and basil and chop finely. Add oil and vinegar and process until pesto is smooth. (Or do it like I do and just throw it all into the blender at the same time!)

Continue reading "You never know what you are going to get (and a Mint Pesto Recipe)" and recipe ...

The other day I was talking to my sister about basil. I love basil and it is one of the few herbs I have been successful growing on the boat. The problem, however, is that when you get a really good plant going you end up with heaps and heaps of basil (my sister's current problem). More than you can reasonably use. Sure you can add a few leaves to various dishes, but what to do when you are trying to use bulk amounts? A good pesto is delicious, but how about something new? That's when I discovered this dish - Red Pesto Lamb Pasta.

It fit a second requirement of mine as well, and that was to use lamb. There are some great butcher shops selling excellent lamb here in Finike (Turkey), and I like to utilize the local favorites as much as possible. Of course shopping in any foreign country, no matter how "civilized" is difficult. The very first thing I learned when we started traveling was to substitute, substitute, substitute! In this dish I ended up using pistachios instead of pine nuts for the pesto (very recommended), and finely chopped lamb instead of minced lamb.

Red Pesto Sauce
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained chopped
3 cups fresh basil (loosely packed)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh Romano cheese, grated
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled (or pine nuts)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In blender or food processor; blend together all the ingredients until desired chunkiness. This pesto can be used on hot pasta alone, or is great in the following lamb pasta recipe. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Lamb Pasta
500 grams (1-lb) lamb, ground
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 red peppers (capsicums), deseeded and diced
1/2 recipe red pesto (recipe above, you may also be able to find it in your local grocery store)
400 grams (~14 ounces) can chopped tomatoes
150 grams (~5-6 ounces) dried pasta shapes
Romano or Parmesan cheese for serving.

1. Heat a large frying pan with just a touch of oil. Add the lamb, onion, and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the peppers, pesto, and tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Mix into the meat sauce.

Serves 4.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it can be frozen. So make a double batch and freeze half for later in the month, or add this to your OAMC (once a month cooking) recipe collection. You can either freeze the sauce alone - cooking the pasta fresh on the night of serving, or freeze it complete with the pasta. If freezing the pasta, slightly under-cook it so that when reheated it will be perfectly al dente and not mushy. Cool completely and freeze in a freezer container or freezer ziplock for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature for a couple of hours, then heat until nice and hot (if using the microwave keep loosely covered). You may need to add a small bit of water during the reheat to keep it nice and moist.

Continue reading "Red Pesto Lamb Pasta Recipe" and recipe ...