It's all Greek to me!

I love to eat international food! Indian, Mexican, Greek, Puerto Rican, Zambian, Ethiopian all kinds! To tell you which is my favorite is not possible. I love them all! But the other day Keith and I got a package of Sheep meat from some friends. The meat had been seasoned like Gyro meat. I LOVE GREEK GYROS!!!!!! I remember growing up there was a shopping center in Zambia called "The Castle". It was built like a castle, and at this shopping center there was a little Greek food restaurant outside the shopping center. It was pretty much set in the parking lot. There was a big grill thing that the chef would pile all the meat on a stick and then grill it as it rotated around. I am not sure the real name of those cookers. I googled it and all it said was Gyro Cooker.... yeah I could have come up with that name!I am sure the Greek have a special name for that kind of grill, but I call it Scrumptious! Whatever the name, anything that can cook meat on a still and continue cooking as you carve off your meat for a gyro is a yummy thing to me! We would go there when were were on that side of town or when we we traveling back from that direction. We would order a few Gyros and gobble them up! I always thought Gyros would be really complicated. Something you order when you go out to eat. But since finding a Greek restaurant in Galena is a bit HARD, I decided to try it on my own. Pita bread intimidated me. How do you make a bread puffy with a cute little pocket in it with out having to do a LOT of work? Well i will tell you, IT IS EASY!! Pita bread has become my fast go to recipe for a quick lunch for my boys or for a wonderful dinner. It is easy to make a chicken salad to stuff your pita bread or make Tzatziki sauce and cut Pita into triangles for a nice dipping appetizer. Trust me! I am all about easy. So I am going to give you a few recipes to make a easy Greek dinner with out spending money on Pita bread, and all the sauces. As I said it is really easy!

Pita Bread
1 TBSP yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
3-3 1/2 cup flour

Dissolve yeast in water for about 5 minutes. pour into mixer with bread hook. Add salt and 1 1/2 cup of flour Mix well. Add more flour till a shaggy mass is formed. Knead for 8 minutes in mixer till dough is smooth and elastic. If to sticky add more flour a little at a time.

Turn dough on to floured surface and divide into 6 balls for larger pitas or 10 for smaller pitas. Form into balls and then flatten with rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Let them rest on a floured surface for 30-40 minutes till lightly puffy. (Don't worry if they are still rather flat.They will Puff up more in the oven.)
Preheat oven 425 degrees
Flip dough onto baking sheet with a flat spatula. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

*I usually double or triple the recipe because they freeze well and last in a zip-lock for a few days on the counter....at least till my family find them. they disappear fast!

~Pitas are good for making Chicken salad sandwiches, pita chips and other yummy stuff.

Gyro Meat(I got this recipe from food network)
1 onion chopped
2 lbs ground meat(most use lamb but moose,beef or even chicken can work)
1 TBSP garlic (minced)
1 TBSP Marjorum( I don't have this so I use oregano)
1 TBSP ground rosemary
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a pan put a little olive oil and saute onions till a little soft. add meat and all spices. Mix well and brown meat.


Tzatziki sauce(this really makes the Gyro.you really need some kind of sauce.)
3 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP vinegar
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 cup yogurt ( i don't have this so i use more sour cream)
2 cucumbers (yes this makes the sauce but here we don't have assecess to cucumbers in winter so i omit these and add chopped onions instead)
1 tsp fresh dill
3 TBSP Lemon Juice

Mix all together, and put on pita, add the meat, lettuce, french fries(This was a Zambian thing) anything you like on your Gyros.

It really is easy and delicious to make Greek Gyros. And cheaper then going out to eat. Try these and enjoy!