I always say that Greek food is so much more than Gyros and Souvlaki served with chips, and it is. Greece is one of my favourite cuisines as it combines both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours and I am especially a fan of Eastern Mediterranean dishes. I love the fact that it is a diet that includes the freshest of fish including seabass, octopus, squid and succulent prawns. My favourite vegetables are aubergines and courgettes and just like it’s neighbours, Greece makes the most of these in it’s food. Kolokithokeftedes, little delicately crisp balls of fried courgette are one of my favourites and perfect as part of a Mezze. Orzo pasta dishes that are cooked with juicy and tangy tomatoes and served with prawns and squid are everything that I love about Mediterranean food. It is good, honest food and I cannot praise it enough.
Of course, Greece is particularly famous for it’s meat dishes. On a recent holiday to Paxos we enjoyed spit roasted lamb and BBQ’d lamb chops. The meat was cooked in olive oil and fresh oregano and it melted in the mouth. On our final day in Corfu we stopped off at a little restaurant called Pane e Souvlaki. It was the most delicious and soft of meats, well seasoned and just such a joy to eat! I could have dipped those tender bits of pork in the Tzatziki and eat it all day long. It was when I got back from Greece that I ordered some good quality Greek olive oil and dried oregano to try and re-create that dish. And I have to say, this is delicious! Perfect for those summer evenings sat outside!
I serve the Souvlaki with some crispy potato wedges on the side.
- 500g diced pork
- Good quality olive oil
- 1 tbpsn dried oregano
- Small bunch fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Small handful fresh chives (finely sliced)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 large pot plain yoghurt
- Quarter of a cucumber (cut in half, middle scooped out then finely sliced into small pieces)
- Black pepper/ salt
- Wooden skewers (left to soak in cold water for at least 1 hour)
- Mix about 50ml olive oil, oregano, half the lemon juice and 2 cloves garlic together in a large bowl. Add the pork and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well so that the oil combines the pork. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- For the Tzatziki: Mix the xoghurt, remaining lemon juice and garlic, cucumbers, chives and parsley together until well combined. Season with a little salt and pepper and place in the fridge until needed.
- Thread the pieces of pork on skewers. Then heat a large griddle pan or frying pan. There is no need to any oil. Once hot add the skewers and cook for around 10-12 mins, regularly turning them over to cook on all sides.
- Plate up with the Tzatziki and serve straight away!
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