Greek Gyros

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Greek Gyros

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Grilled lemony garlicky meat. Creamy tzatziki. Just a little onions, lettuce and cilantro. Sliced red tomatoes. A dusting of cayenne pepper. Don't forget to wedge in some french fries and you will have one fine Greek gyros.

Ever since I posted my recipe for Greek Pork Souvlaki (kebabs), I have been asked to post a recipe for Pork Gyros (pronounced: YEAR-oss). That's easy for me to do as I have already posted the recipes for my Soft Pita Bread and Tzatziki (a fresh tasting cucumber yogurt sauce). 

It only leaves me to provide assembly instructions and the simplest of recipes for the onion, lettuce and cilantro salad. Now perhaps, my family and friends can start making these Greek Gyros for me instead!

The best Greek gyros I tasted was right by the Athens Central Market on Athena Street. It looked like any other gyros sold on the streets but the slices of pork from this no frills restaurant was phenomenally tasty. Just the right touch of salt and enough fat on the meat to make it succulent. I believe it is no coincidence that the restaurant is situated a stone's throw away from Athens largest meat market!

I would head back to Athens just to have a few more of this eatery's gyros. My gyros is modelled after theirs.

We had just finished buying more food items from the Market to take home and were heading back to the hotel when I noticed this nondescript restaurant. It was not too busy but there was enough of a local crowd and no tourists. To me, that's enough of an indication that the food will be good.

At the end of a most satisfying meal of gyros and coke, I went up to compliment the staff who were all smiles that I had loved it so much I managed to eat not one but two.

I asked for their business card, using my fingers to draw a small rectangle since I speak no greek. They started to chatter animatedly amongst themselves whilst looking perplexed at the same time. I was a little amuse. 

The lady behind the cash register motioned me to wait and pointed upstairs. Huh? Had she wanted me to wait or to go upstairs? Another staff disappeared to the back of the restaurant. I was more amused. 

Within a minute the staff reappeared and handed the lady (she must have been the manager) a glossy looking A5 size booklet. She took it, reached out for a damp cloth and wiped it through. I looked on, quite baffled. 

She smiled and handed the booklet to me. I smiled back, graciously took it albeit with a bit of apprehension. 

I stared down at it. Ah! It was an old menu of theirs. She helpfully pointed out their address at the bottom line and of course, it was in Greek! I quickly kept my natural inclination to laugh in check and instead offered my most genuine smile of gratitude.

So the menu is outdated and entirely in Greek. Doesn't matter as I can drool over the pictures of their food. More importantly, I now have the name of the restaurant. A quick google search tells me that the address is: 53 Athinas Street. Closest train station is Omonia.

If you are within the vicinity of the Central Market, head down to that eatery and treat yourself to some very scrumptious gyros. The staff will make you feel very welcomed.

To read more about my eating and shopping adventures around Athens Central Market, you could view my post on, Tzatziki And Shopping & Eating At Athens Central Market. If you are headed to the Market, try the gyros and do not miss out on the food served at 'the basement eatery with no name' and the wonderful coffee at Mokka. Where is it? Click the link.

GREEK GYROS                                                  
The information in the table below does not include the preparation and cooking times for the Pork Souvlaki Kebabs, Tzatziki and Soft Pita Bread. Please click respective links to get the details.

Prep:	Onion, lettuce, cilantro, tomato: 5 minutes Assembling all the gyri: 15 minutes
Cook:	French fries: 15 minutes
Inactive:	-
Level:	Intermediate
Makes:	6 gyros
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	-
Make ahead?	I suggest you split up the preparation from the cooking. (1) Marinate the pork souvlaki up to 2 days before.  (2)Tzatziki can be made 2 days ahead. (3) Pita dough can be made 1 day ahead.

Just the ingredients 1 recipe Pork Souvlaki Kebabs 1 recipe Tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce) 2 X 1 recipe  Soft Pita Bread For the salad 3/4 cup onions 1/2 cup of iceberg lettuce 2 Tablespoons parsley/cilantro 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 2 tomatoes 2 cups of frozen waffle cut french fries Salt, pepper & chilli pepper and/or paprika for sprinkling

Ingredients

1 recipe Pork Souvlaki Kebabs
Can be marinated 2 days ahead.
1 recipe Tzatziki  (cucumber yogurt sauce)

Can be made 2 days ahead. If made ahead, drain off any excess liquid that might have pooled.

If you are buying the Tzatziki, drain off excess liquid by pouring the contents over a strainer that has been lined with coffee filters/muslin/cheese cloth/double layer of paper kitchen towels. Tzatziki for gyros are never the thin watery variety that you buy off supermarket shelves. Refer to the home made Tzatziki in the photograph above.

2 X 1 recipe  Soft Pita Bread

To give you six 9" (22.86cm) pitas. Dough can be made 1 day ahead.

If you are not making your own pitas, I suggest you get store bought flatbreads ('Wraps') that are closer to 9" (22.86cm) in diameter as you probably won't be able to buy 9" sized pitas. Be careful not to overfill the store bought flatbreads as they are not as sturdy as homemade pitas.

For the salad
3/4 cup onions
Loosely packed thinly sliced 
1/2 cup of iceberg lettuce
Shredded into slightly larger than 1/8" (0.31cm)
2 Tablespoons parsley/cilantro
Roughly cut
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

The remaining ingredients
2 tomatoes
Cut into 6 wedges
2 cups of frozen waffle cut french fries
Do not buy shoe-string french fries. They aren't cut thick enough. Fry just before you need it
Salt, pepper & chilli pepper and/or paprika 
For sprinkling

Method

Before assembling, have the following food/items prepared and ready:

• Grease/Wax/Parchment Paper or Aluminium foil - to wrap gyros - Cut into 8"X10" (20cmX25cm) rectangles. Set aside.
• Tzatziki - could be prepared a few hours and up to 2 days ahead. If it gets too watery (because you had made it a day or 2 ahead), drain off the liquid.
• Pita Bread - could be baked through and kept warm wrapped in kitchen towel and in a covered container up to 2 hours before.
• Tomatoes - cut into 6 wedges and set aside.
• Salt, pepper, chill pepper and/or paprika should be kept within easy reach.
• Pork Souvlaki - should be cooked just before you are ready to assemble gyros. Let it rest under a sheet of aluminium foil for 10 minutes. Slice into thin slices after the 10 minutes resting time and re-tent under foil.
• French Fries - should be cooked whilst the cooked Pork Souvlaki is resting under the aluminium tent.
• Salad - could be mixed up to 2 hours before but dress with lemon juice only after Pork Souvlaki has been sliced or the salad will get too watery.

Here is how I build my gyros:

As a visual point of reference, please look at the pita in the photograph above (located just above 'Ingredients').

1. Set one sheet of Grease/Wax/Parchment Paper or Aluminium Foil on a flat work surface.
2. Set one Pita over it.
3. Spread 2 - 3 Tablespoons of Tzatziki. This will act as a 'glue' to hold the other food items.
4. Divide the sliced Pork Souvlaki into 6 portions. Spread one portion over the Tzatziki. 
5. Sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, Chill Pepper and/or Paprika. Not too much as you will be salting and peppering as you build the gyros.
6. Sprinkle as much Salad as you wish.
7. Sprinkle with a little Salt, Pepper, Chill Pepper and/or Paprika.
8. Dab 2 wedges of Tomatoes with Tzatziki and place over the meat and salad. The Tzatziki helps to hold the tomatoes in place.
9. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little Salt, Pepper, Chill Pepper and/or Paprika.
10. Add the French Fries as much as you like or are able to squeeze in.
11. Sprinkle with final layer of Salt, Pepper, Chill Pepper and/or Paprika.
12. Roll into a cone and hold it in shape with the Grease/Wax/Parchment Paper or Aluminium Foil.  Leave a 2" (5 cm) overhang of paper/foil at the bottom end of the cone (the pointy end) so that you can fold it up to contain any drips.

Best served with Coca Cola and if you are watching your diet, there is now the lower calorie version sweetened with stevia. I do not care for the taste of it but I like the colour of the can!

Tips

These Pork Greek Gyros are wonderful to eat but there are a lot of components involved. 

• Splitting up the preparation and cooking process as I have outlined above is the way to go.

• To serve this to a larger group of more than 6 or at a party, the sane way would be to distribute the work. 

I would have separate individuals:

• prepare the Tzatziki.
• prepare the Salad. Salad items should be all cut and mixed up but not dressed. Lemon juice should be squeezed and kept in a little container ready for pouring.
• prepare Tomatoes. It should be cut! You want to do as little as possible and to wash up as little as possible.
• Pre-fry the French Fries. Warm through quickly in the oven before assembling.
• If it is a large party and I need double or triple portions of Pork Souvlaki, I would assign the task to 3 individuals.
• The person who does not cook brings the Grease/Wax/Parchment Paper or Aluminium foil. Make sure they are already cut to size! 
• I usually end up baking the Pita as they are so much better than store bought. If not, have someone buy them.

With the work distributed, you would be in a more relaxed state of mind to enjoy the party and the gyros!

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                

More cookies are baking in the oven! This time it is Vanillekipferl; soft, fall-apart cookies with a generous dusting of vanilla icing sugar!