Shrimp Gyros

Now that my parents live nearby, I head down there at least once a week for some time in their pool and for a visit to the seafood market. I was craving Greek food after we returned home from Paris and I figured shrimp would work well in gyros.  It did!  The shrimp were fresh caught and just needed lemon juice, vinegar and oregano to flavor them for the gyros.  I dragged my bread machine to my parents to make the pita bread, because I have become too lazy to make any type of yeast product without it.  Shrimp gyros are a perfect summertime meal.

Shrimp Gyros

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Juice of two small or one large lemon
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Pita bread
Tzatiki sauce(recipe follows)
1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together one tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss the shrimp in the marinade and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the shrimp for 5 to 6 minutes, until pink and cooked through. Serve the shrimp on pita bread topped with tzatiki sauce, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Tzatiki Sauce

1 English hothouse cucumber, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
24 ounce container plain Greek yogurt

Meanwhile, add the cucumber to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 to 8 times until it reaches a coarse grated consistency. Drain liquid from the cucumber. Mince garlic with salt until it forms a smooth paste. Stir the cucumber and garlic into the yogurt.

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Chicken Souvlaki

It's no secret how much I love Greek food, especially from Niko Nikos.  When I saw this recipe in the September 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living, it immediately went into our menu plan.  I used my regular pita bread recipe, which I am still working on getting the pitas to be nice circles.  It was very similar to Chicken Gyros, but with a little brighter flavor thanks to all the fresh lemon juice.  Miss F gobbled up the chicken and kept exclaiming "more pita!"  Considering she rarely likes breads, I take that as a success.  Normally, she is shouting "more meat!"  The skewers would also be great on the grill...if only we had one.

Chicken Souvlaki

1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2” cubes
1 cucumber, chopped
½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
3 plum tomatoes, cut into eighths
½ onion, cut into 2” pieces
Pita bread

Whisk together lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, half of the garlic, oregano, oil and salt. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Stir together remaining lemon juice, remaining garlic, remaining salt, cucumber, and yogurt. Thread the chicken, tomatoes and onion onto metal skewers and place on a broiling pan. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve skewers with pita and cucumber yogurt sauce.

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