No good (or groaningly bad) punny post names today. I made gyros following the Cook's Illustrated recipe from the July/August 2007 issue. I wasn't sure what to expect. Traditionally, gyros are made to order by cutting strips of meat off a rotating cylinder of meat, which is a little challenging for the home cook. CI had a very different, well-researched techinique to try.In this method, you make little gyro-meatball-patties and pan fry them. The recipe was a lot like the method I use for keftedes (Greek meatballs), except CI used a lot more bread than I would have.
The results were quite good. Instead of stuffing everything into pita bread, I served the whole kitandkaboodle plated as a DIY sandwich making plate. (We were joking that this picture looked a little like a shot from The House of Apollo Menu Specials page - hey you get the point though. Yasou!)
I made the lamb patties on Sunday and fried them up to order on Monday. While they were cooking, I made the tzaziki (garlic yogurt sauce) and set up the plates with feta, tomatoes, olives and salad.
Gyros (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)
- most of a piece of pita bread or 2 slices of bread, torn into pieces
- 1 large shallot, rough chopped
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- big squeeze of lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound ground lamb
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties about 4 minutes per side. You want them deeply browned and cooked all the way through. Drain on paper towels and serve.
Depending on how many garnishes you use, this will serve 3-4 people.
Gyro Fixings
- slices of feta cheese
- tomato wedges
- Kalamata olives
- pita bread
- salad dressed with a super lemony dressing (lemon juice and oil in a 1:3 ratio, Greek oregano, salt and pepper)
- tzaziki (stir together 1 cup full fat yogurt, 1 seeded and diced cucumber, 1 pressed clove of garlic, handful chopped mint and dill, salt to taste)
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4 comments:
I'm trying to find a recipe for this seafood I picked up on a weekend trip to the Olympic Peninsula:
Beach Fresh!
Ground lamb just doesn't do a gyro justice. Next time try ungrounded lamb or pork and you will experience a taste more suitable. Thanks for the cucumber dressing!
"Anonymous" would like to contribute to your menu! If you enjoy feta cheese, I think you will find this dish tantalizing.
4-6 boneless chicken
2 orange or red bellpeppers, diced or chopped
2 pkgs. of crumbled feta cheese
Olive oil
1 pkg. of yellow saffron rice
1/2 cup of sliced black olives (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place boneless chicken in shallow baking dish.
Place diced or chopped bellpeppers in a medium mixing bowl with crumbled feta cheese. One half cup of sliced black olives is optional ~ my family doesn't like black olives, so I never added them. Add liberal amounts of olive oil and mix ingredients. Spread this mix on top of chicken. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 and half hour. Serve with saffron rice and a colorful tossed salad.
This is a very festive dish that has always brightened up our day!
Kira: I don't know quite what to do with your ray ... perhaps a brown butter sauce with capers and kibble?
Anonymous1: Yes, a gyro made with sliced lamb can be much better than this. But, this is definitely easier and has a taste very similar to what I've eaten in Greece.
Anonymous2: Thanks! I've made something similar with grilled chicken breasts, topped with a red pepper and feta "salsa".
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