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Souvlaki or Souvlakia are grilled, marinated lamb kebabs served in toasted Pita breads with your favourite selection of shreaded salad and sauces. Keep experimenting with your own combinations until you find your family’s favourite way to serve them.

• 500 grams / 1 lb of lamb leg steak
• skewers
• juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• small bunch of fresh oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

• 4 large pita breads
• Oil for frying

• Tzatziki or Greek Yoghurt
• Hummus (optional)
• Spicy Tomato Sauce (optional)
• Sweet chili sauce (optional)
• Prepared shreaded salad of lettuce, herbs etc.

• Kitchen paper for serving

Trim the lamb of any fat or sinew, cut into small cubes and carefully thread onto approximately 8 skewers. Peel and mince the garlic, juice the lemon straining out any pips and finely chop the fresh oregano. In a bowl place the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, white wine vinegar and salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste.

Place the lamb kebabs in a shallow flat dish and pour the marinade over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or ovenight.

Preheat your grill or barbeque. Place the lamb skewers over a medium heat and cook for around 4 minutes each side, brushing with extra marinade and turning once.

Brush a pita bread with oil and water and lightly toast for one minute each side on a very hot flat skillet.

Hold a large double layer of kitchen paper in one hand and place the hot pita on the paper. Pull the meat off two skewers into the pita and add a good large portion of shreaded salad with tongs, drizzle with Tzatziki and your favourite sauces. Roll the pita into a tight cone secured by wrapping in the kitchen paper and serve immediately. Continue making 3 more Souvlaki with the remaining ingredients.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
3 cups rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 1/2 cups nonfat chicken broth
1 1/2 cup dry sherry
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Butter a 7 x 11-inch baking dish and pour in uncooked rice. In a medium saucepan, saute green onions in butter until softened. Add mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms are softened. Pour in chicken broth, sherry, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and pour over rice in baking dish. 

Cover baking dish, and bake in a 375-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until rice is tender.

3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup warm water (between 95° and 115° F.)
2 T yeast (2 tablespoons, I like my dough a little yeasty. You can use less)
2 T honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Food Processor

Some food processors come with a dough blade. If you have it use it. If you don’t, just use the standard cutting blade. My dough blade broke from over use (some would call it pizza abuse, but that’s another story) and the regular blade works fine.
Pour in warm water. The water should be about 85 to 115° F. Test it with your hand. It should feel very warm, but comfortable. Add the honey and salt. Mix on low for about 20 seconds. Add the yeast and mix on low for another 5 seconds. Add 1 cup of flour, mix on low for 10 seconds. Add the olive oil and mix until blended (about 15 or 20 seconds more). Add the rest of the flour (and any other additions) and mix on high for about a minute or two. The dough should turn into a ball and roll around the processor. If the dough does not ball up because it’s too dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does. If your mixture is more like a batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Adding water or flour as needed to get the right consistency will assure you always get a perfect dough. Just remember to do it in small amounts.

Once the dough is balled up, place the ball on a floured board and knead for about a minute. This builds the gluten which helps the dough to rise and become fluffy when cooked. Place the dough in a plastic grocery bag or a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise.

After about 45 minutes the dough should have about doubled in size. Show it who’s the boss and punch it down. That’s right, give it a good smack so it deflates. Let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half. The dough is now ready to be rolled out. You can punch the dough down one more time if you want and wait another hour or two before rolling out. The choice is yours.

You’re now ready for the next step: Rolling out the dough!

This dough can also be made in advance and refrigerated for a day or so, or even frozen. Be sure to let the dough come to room temperature before using.

For the biscuits:
2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 oz. cold butter, diced
8 oz buttermilk

1. Combine and sift the dry ingredients.
2. Gently knead in the butter.
3. Add the buttermilk and knead on a floured board just enough to bring the dough together. It is vital that you knead gently and no more than is necessary or you will develop the gluten in the flour and make the biscuits tough.
4. Good biscuits are as much a function of technique as ingredients.
5. Form a flat mass with the dough and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Don’t make them too high or the outside could become over browned by the time the inside is cooked.
6. Place them on parchment paper on a sheet tray and then into a preheated 400-degree oven.
7. Start the gravy immediately. It should be done close to the same time as the biscuits, which is when they are golden in color.

For the gravy:
½ pound ground breakfast sausage.
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups cold milk
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté the sausage until it is cooked and has released as much of its fat as possible.
2. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and do NOT drain the grease. You’ll need it to make the roux. (I said this was delicious, not health food). You should have about 2 tablespoons of rendered pork fat.
3. Add the butter and melt it.
4. Then add the flour a little at a time over medium heat, constantly whisking.
5. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
6. Now start adding the cold milk a little at a time, whisking incessantly.
7. Toward the end of the milk add the sausage back in.
8. When you reach the desired consistency add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Cut the biscuits in half, pour the gravy over them, and enjoy one of the most embracing and comforting taste sensations known to man.

A few points here. The perfect roux has equal amounts of fat and flour. If for some reason your sausage renders noticeably less or more than two tablespoons of fat, adjust the amount of flour accordingly. If you end up making more roux you will need more milk so have extra on hand. Make sure the roux is cooked on no more than medium heat. We do not want to burn or brown the roux, just cook out the floury taste. Four things are necessary to assure a smooth, lump-free gravy. You must constantly whisk the roux and the gravy throughout the process. You must add cold milk to the hot roux. You must incorporate the milk a little at a time. And finally, keep the heat at no more than medium. You can adjust the consistency however you like, but a thick creamy gravy is the target viscosity.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can tomato
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons margarine or oil or butter
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Pour tomatoes into blender or food processor.
2. Add basil, tarragon, salt and pepper.
3. Puree until smooth.
4. Melt margarine in large frypan.
5. Saute garlic over medium heat 1 minute.
6. Add chicken breasts, saute, turning once or twice until golden on both sides.
7. Turn chicken fleshy side down and cover with tomato mixture.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until tender.
9. Remove chicken and place fleshy side up, in a warm oven proof dish.
10. Stir parsley into sauce and spoon over chicken breasts.
11. Sprinkle with Mozzarella.
12. Place under heated broiler 1 minute just until cheese melts.