Souvlaki

Where I live, there's not much of a food scene.  We have some decent restaurants and things are improving, but it's not exactly known as a culinary destination. But we've had a little bit of food truck culture for over 20 years.  Sammy's Souvlaki is a stationary food truck that's been serving souvlaki, gyros and fresh cut french fries to drunk students when the bars close since I was in high school.  

Souvlaki is easy to replicate at home. The most important ingredient for me is super fresh pita bread.  It's not easy to find it absolutely fresh but when I do, dinner plans go out the window and I pick up some pork and yogurt to make souvlaki.

Previously I showed you how I make tzatziki, which you'll need for this recipe. One little tip I didn't mention is to grate the cucumber, then place it in a strainer with a little salt to remove most of the liquid.  Squeeze it dry before mixing into the greek yogurt with some minced garlic.

You'll also need pork tenderloin. You can use boneless pork chops instead if you like. Boneless chicken thighs are also great in this. 

Just dice the meat into even sized chunks.

Then take some fresh oregano and garlic.

And chop in a mini food processor with some olive oil, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar or lemon juice.

Once chopped, marinate the pork for at least an hour, preferably several hours or overnight. 

Once marinated, thread the meat onto wooden skewers you've soaked in water for at least 30 minutes.  Longer skewers would be better but I used what I had.

Grill the skewers until just cooked through, don't let them get dry and tough.  

Here's the super fresh pita bread. I love whole wheat pita but regular white pita is fine too.  You can place it on the grill for just a few seconds to warm it through.

When the pork is done, bring it in to assemble the souvlaki.

Generously spread the tzatziki over the pita.

Then slide the pork off the skewers onto the pita.

This can be topped with tomatoes and onions but I'm not a fan of raw tomatoes so I use lettuce and onions.

Fold the bottom of the pita over slightly so the filling won't fall out, then roll up like a burrito and enjoy the deliciousness!

This is one of my favourite things to eat and the pictures turned out pretty well too!