Delicious Greek Souvlaki Kebab

Source

Souvlaki (and in plural souvlakia- you need this word if you come to Greece) is maybe the most popular fast food in Greece. It is made with little pieces of meat (it doesn't really matter what kind of meat you are using) or sometimes vegetables, grilled on a skewer or on a barbecue. It is usually served in a pita sandwich with sauces (the most popular are tirokafteri or tzatziki), french fries, tomatoes and onions or on a dinner plate with french fries. The meat usually preferred in Greece is pork, although chicken and mushrooms can also be used. In other countries, souvlaki is made with pork, chicken, lamb, beef and sometimes fish.

The word souvlaki comes from the medieval Greek souvla that means skewer. In Athens you will hear it as kalamaki. But if you ask for a "kalamaki" in Thessaloniki or other parts of northern Greece, you will be given a drinking straw, because it is also called "kalamaki". So be careful!

But enough has been said about the important things you should know about souvlaki. It's time to make the dream come true! It will take almost one hour to prepare it and it's enough for four-five people!

All you need is love... and:

• Two pork tenderloins(up to one kilo in total)
• One medium onion
• Four sprigs of rosemary
• Three sprigs of thyme
• Two cloves of garlic(crushed, whole or cut in small pieces - it doesn't really matter)
• Five tablespoons of olive oil
• Five tablespoons of white wine vinegar and extra five tablespoons for the skewer's marinade
• One pinch of coarse salt
• One pinch of pepper

To serve:

• Two medium tomatoes cut into eight wedges
• Wooden skewers
• Many pita bread
• Tzatziki sauce

Do not forget!

The recipe of the tzatziki sauce is available in the previous post.

Some of the ingredients:

Source

And you are ready to begin!

1. In a container add five tablespoons of white wine vinegar, two sprigs of chopped rosemary and some sprigs of chopped thyme. Soak the wooden skewers in this marinade for one-two hours so that they will not burn while the meat is cooking and they will release a great aroma.
2. Take a sharp knife and remove thewhite membrane that covers the top part of the pork loin. This is a very important step because the souvlaki will remain tough no matter how long we will cook it.
3. Then cut the meat into small, equal sized pieces (two -three centimetres thick). This helps the meat cook evenly.
4. Transfer the souvlakia to a deep baking pan and set them aside.
5. Chop the onion into four pieces. Separate the onion layers and add them to the baking pan with the souvlakia.
6. Chop the herbs (rosemary and thyme) and add them to the pan.
7. Add five tablespoons of olive oil, five tablespoons of white wine vinegar, two cloves of garlic, some salt and some pepper. Leave them in the fridge for almost twenty minutes.
8. Finally thread the pieces of meat onto the wooden skewers.
9. Cook over the grill until they are cooked through and get brown.
10. Serve with toasted pita bread, onions, tomatoes, french fries and of course tzatziki sauce!

TIP: It is also delicious with ketchup and mustard. You should also totally try it with tirokafreri sauce!

Enjoy!

Souvlaki with pita bread and tzatziki sauce

Source

Souvlaki made with chicken:

Source

Photo gallery