Pork Souvlaki

Ever since I made that shrimp saganaki a couple of weeks ago, I have been thinking about more Greek food. Souvlaki and gyros were some of my favorite things we ate in Greece (especially after a night of drinking and dancing), but I haven't had it too many times here in the US and I have certainly never made it before. This recipe for pork souvlaki is really good and I think the marinade would work well with chicken or lamb as well. I let my meat marinate for 24 hours so the flavors went all through it. Of course since I am a garlic fiend, I kicked up the amount of garlic, but if you have someone to kiss, you may want to reduce the amount if you try it yourself. I used whole wheat pitas to make it a little healthier and grilling them in the pan after the souvlaki gave them a nice texture and flavor. I was a little lazy about taking the cover off my outdoor grill so I made these on the grill pan and was pleased with the grill marks and flavor.




Pork Souvlaki
(Adapted from Serious Eats)

Makes 8 skewers (2 servings)

For the marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Greek oregano
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound pork tenderloin
Tzatziki
Pocketless pitas or flatbread

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Place pork cubes in a plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and toss to coat pork evenly with the marinade, then open the bag and reseal, removing as much air as possible. Place the pork in the refrigerator for at least two hours to overnight.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. While the grill is heating, thread the pork cubes onto the skewers.

Grill the pork skewers until they browned on all sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes, turning once during cooking. Remove the skewers to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. While the pork rests, grill the pita until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove the pita from the grill and served topped with the pork and tzatziki.

So as I briefly mentioned the other day, my friends and I made our way to UCLA to go see Giada at the Festival of Books (we just missed the hotness of Curtis Stone). Barbara Fairchild of Bon Appetit interviewed Giada about her inspiration, influences, and thoughts about Italian cooking. In all honesty, it was a bit boring especially if you have ever caught her "Chefography" on FN, but it was really nice to be outside in the sun forgetting about my recent troubles. Afterwords there was a meet and greet where people could get copies of her new book autographed. We opted to skip the long ass line for that. Here are a couple of pics from the event.