Re: [gardeners] Gyros?
penny x stamm (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 24 Jan 2001 03:16:39 -0500
Ah, Margaret -- I double-checked the spelling, and the recipe sits in
my fabulous small Greek cook book which I got from my two great
Greek cooking teachers, many moons ago....
Tzadziki is a yogurt sauce which is prepared a few hours or days
ahead of time, containing plain yogurt, shredded cucumber, lemon
juice, vinegar, salt, and fresh garlic. I always add a dollup of light
sour cream, to give it body. If you would like the proportions, just
ask.
Oh yes -- I always add dill. Some do, some don't. I think it's essential.
I have just discovered that gyros are not included in my cookbook,
either! But here is what they say:
"Pita bread is often used for souvlakia sandwiches. To serve, slit
at the edge and fill the "pocket' with the barbequed morsels of
lamb, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced onions, and topped with tzadziki
sauce." Since sliced tomatoes are always served on the plate, I
put them in the pocket.
Some places do not split the pita, but serve it whole. I find
that to be too much bread, so instead of splitting the pita at the
edges (which is difficult), I cut each large size pita in half, and that
automatically opens up the pocket for me to stuff.
Instead of using the prepared gyro meat, one could fix the souvlakia
at home by marinating small chunks of cut up leg of lamb in wine, oil,
lemon juice, garlic, oregano and mixed pickling spice, overnight in
the refrigerator. I have the recipe.
Tzadziki is a real Greek favorite sauce. Look up 'yogurt sauce' in
your Greek cookbook.
Not only fast food stores sell gyros -- many pizzarias also do. There's
an excellent gyro restaurant in Chicago -- Dengeos, 3301 W.Main St.,
Skokie, Il -- eat in or take out. Yes, it's fast food, but they only
carry
Greek specialties. There are several other real Greek places in town
which serve them. And many of the big malls have a gyro stand in their
Food Courts all over the country..... The Greek restaurants in
Ridgewood,
New Jersey serve them. And they are everywhere in the Mediterranean.
We had them in Turkey, in Greece, in Israel.
Jimmie and I spent our 50th Wedding Anniversary in the Greek Isles.
Just step off the boat in any one of the islands which serves food,
and a gyro is yours for the asking! My son and d-i-l were there 18 years
ago, and they did exactly that! They must have set a record . . .
Penny, NY
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