Greek Gyro

Recipe Ingredients

2 lbs	908g / 32oz	Lean - boneless lamb* cut in 1" cubes
1/3 cup	78ml	Olive oil
1/2 cup	118ml	Fresh lemon juice
2		Garlic cloves peeled, cut in quart
1 teaspoon	5ml	Chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon	5ml	Chopped fresh oregano or
1 teaspoon	5ml	Chopped fresh marjoram
		Fresh ground pepper to taste
2		Spanish onions - cut in
		- thinly sliced rings
24		Romaine lettuce leaves (small) washed and dried
6		Pita bread rounds (large)
3		Ripe tomatoes (medium)
		Garlic Yogurt Sauce
2 cups	474ml	Plain yogurt
1		Garlic clove peeled and minced
1 teaspoon	5ml	Chopped fresh oregano or
1 teaspoon	5ml	Chopped fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon	15ml	Fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon	5ml	Olive oil
		Salt and pepper - to taste

Recipe Instructions

*Use meat cut from the leg or shoulder.

The morning before an afternoon barbecue, make marinade by combining oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, herbs and pepper in a medium bowl. Remove about 1/4 cup to mix with the onions. Place lamb cubes in bowl with remaining marinade; toss to coat well.

Place onions in small bowl and toss with reserved marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and chill, up to several hours, turning several times.

Meanwhile, make yogurt sauce by lining a medium bowl with cheesecloth and spooning in the yogurt. Tie up edges of cheesecloth with string to form a pouch. Suspend over bowl (tying from refrigerator rack above bowl), or place in a colander over bowl and let stand to drain several hours. Moisture will drip from the yogurt, giving it a thicker consistency.

Mix drained yogurt with minced garlic, chopped herbs, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Makes about 1 cup. Stack pita bread rounds into 2 piles and wrap each in foil, dull side out. To barbecue, heat coals or gas barbecue. Remove meat from marinade, reserving some marinade for basting. (Discard any large garlic pieces.) Thread lamb onto greased skewers and grill over greased grill about 4" from hot coals.

Cook, turning and basting often, about 10 minutes or until lamb is brown on the outside, still pink inside. Warm pita rounds over barbecue. Before serving, lift the onions from the marinade with a slotted spoon and place in a serving bowl. Cut whole tomatoes into thin wedges and place on plate. Place lettuce leaves on plate. Set out yogurt sauce and lots of napkins to facilitate handling of gyros.

To serve, cut each warmed pita bread in half and separate to form 2 pockets. Each person fills a warmed pita picket with some of the grilled lamb cubes, lettuce, tomatoes and onions, topping with a spoonful of sauce.

Yield: 12 gyros, 2 per person.

From "Nancy Enright's Canadian Herb Cookbook" by Nancy Enright.

Source:
Cooking Light, Oct 1993, page 120

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