When I was younger and still living at home, my father would take me out once in a while for dinner. Mom didn’t really cook, and we often had take-out, but dad and I had a special bond at that time. We always went for something mom didn’t like. Something garlicky, or with big sausages, or meat that wasn’t “standard” (ie mom ate beef, chicken, pork, and turkey, and not much else). There was a Greek place he’d take me to once in a long while, and there, I learned to love souvlaki. It’s easy to make, delicious, and relatively healthy (depending on how you make it).
Ingredients for lamb souvlaki:
- 1.5 to 2 lbs lamb shoulder, boneless, cubed
- 1 medium red onion, cut in half circles
- olive oil (for drizzling)
- juice of one lemon
- souvlaki seasoning: oregano, thyme, and rosemary, garlic, paprika, cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Your lamb should be boneless, though technically you could rub a whole shoulder with the bone in and cook it that way. Trust me and get boneless butterflied leg of lamb. It’s expensive, and entirely worth it. Aldi has it for a reasonable amount. Your cubes should be about an inch across, and all close to the same size so they cook right.
You can buy Aldi brand or other brand souvlaki seasoning, and just sub it in for the dried herbs mentioned above. You want to be heavy handed, which is why I didn’t put amounts in. For 1.5 lbs of lamb, I use about a quarter cup of spice, and I mix all of the souvlaki seasonings mentioned above “about equally.” Salt and pepper I add at the end, and I tend to go lighter (the mixes may have salt and pepper in them, so check before adding those). You want to dump the seasoning on the cubed lamb and slivered half circles of red onion, add in a drizzle of the olive oil and the lemon juice, then get in with both hands and squish it around. Coat everything fairly evenly, but not so thickly that it’s like sawdust. Cover with plastic wrap and stick your meat in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, and a maximum of 8.
Make yourself some tzatziki while the meat is marinating.
Ingredients for tzatziki:
- 10 oz plain yogurt (Greek yogurt works best, or you can use cashew yogurt if you don’t use dairy)
- 8 oz English cucumber (or any low-seed cuke, leave on the skin)
- 3 tbsp minced fresh dill
- 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed or minced
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 to 1-1/2 tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil
Grate the cucumber using a large grater. I usually grate it right into a thin dish towel, which I can take over to the sink when I’m done the grating part. Wrap up the grated cuke, and twirl the bag so it gets very tight, then squeeze out as much of the liquid as you possibly can. Try several different methods; the more liquid you get out now, the better your tzatziki will taste and the longer it will keep in the fridge.
Add the yogurt to a medium bowl. Add in the grated cucumber, dill, garlic, 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice, salt, pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix well. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt, vinegar, or olive oil as needed. If possible, rest in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes (or for several hours) to allow the flavors to marry. It’s fine to make this the night before, or right after you put your meat on to marinate. Don’t make it more than a day in advance, though.
When you’re ready to eat dinner, bring out the tzatziki and taste it, adding a bit of salt or pepper if needed, and then put it out on the table. Preheat your oven to 350°F. While it’s preheating, spread your marinated meat and onions on a large, lipped cooking tray. Make sure that the mixture is in a single layer, so that it will cook evenly. Roast in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until your largest piece of lamb registers at 135°F. Take the meat out of the oven and pop it into a serving bowl.
While the meat is cooking, heat up several pitas. Serve the entire meal thus: On or in a pita, place some of the meat, some tzatziki, and whatever toppings you like (I highly suggest pickled red onions, shredded lettuce, fresh diced tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, and olives). Eat like a taco, and enjoy your healthy meal!
Notes:
You can substitute chicken or beef for the lamb if you like. Cooking times and finished meat temperatures may change, so check you’ve got things cooked well enough. This is REALLY yummy.
Traditional tzatziki has fresh minced mint in it as well as the dill. Feel free to use half the dill and add some fresh mint.
Souvlaki is traditionally made on skewers and cooked over an open flame. Feel free to do so and char it on the barbecue! Just remove it from the skewers before serving. You can also serve it with rice instead of a pita, but I like it in the pita.