Souvlaki: beef, pork or chicken

With the beautiful weather in Vancouver this week I am feeling inspired to bbq. Dave Brindle and I were chatting on his show on am1410 Monday night and he asked me for a good souvlaki recipe so I will include that which can be used for beef, pork or chicken as well as a recipe for tzatiki. I like to pair this with a simple Greek salad, some Greek style potatoes roasted in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic and some yummy pita bread. Use the Greek pita that is thicker and doesn't have a pocket. the trick is brush it with olive oil and put it on the bbq for 1-2 minute per side right before you sit down for dinner.


Tracy's Souvlaki
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon zest and juice
2 tbsp oregano, fresh and chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 lb chicken (thighs or breast boneless and skinless)
beef (sirloin) or
lamb (leg or sirloin) diced in 1/2" pieces
salt and pepper

Dice meat of choice. Mix first 5 ingredients together and then toss with meat. Place in a ziploc bag and squeeze out air and marinate minimum 2 hours but overnight is best in particular for the beef and lamb to tenderize.

Skewer meat and preheat bbq. Season the meat with salt and pepper as you put them on the bbq. Chicken should be fully cooked through. For the beef or lamb cook till medium rare and then rest. It is important to allow the meat to rest for a minimum of 5 minutes in order to allow the juice to redistribute thought the meat and the muscle to relax.


Tzatiki
1 cup plain yogurt
1 long english cucumber, seeded, grated and squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Allow to rest a few hours for flavours to develop.