Gyro

 

I’ve been lucky to have friends who are chefs in my life; that’s because my brother-in-law George was a Michelin Star Chef, and every Monday we would venture off to a new restaurant in the Washington, DC area to try out the local cuisine. Knowing I loved Greek food, one week we ventured to the Aster Mediterranean restaurant in the Adams Morgan area of Washington, DC., to try out their culinary fare, and I was so impressed, I asked to meet the chef and was able to get his recipe for authentic Gyro meat as explained below. I was lucky that a few years later, the owners opened another Aster Mediterranean in Arlington, VA, and I was able to enjoy their cuisine more often. Enjoy!

Servings 8

Ingredients

1 onion (medium, roughly chopped)

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground lamb

2 cloves garlic (large, roughly chopped)

1 Tbsp marjoram (dried)

1 Tbsp rosemary (dried, or a small sprig of fresh, taken off the main stem)

2 tsp salt (Kosher or sea salt)

½ tsp black pepper (freshly ground)

To Serve:

1 cup tzatziki sauce 

8 leaves lettuce 

16 slices of tomatoes

8 slices of sweet onion ( I like mine caramelized)

Bottom of Form

Instructions

Run the onion in a food processor for about 15 seconds. Place the onion in the center of a kitchen towel and squeeze out the juice, and return the onion pulp to the food processor. Discard the juice.

Add the meat, garlic, spices, sal,t and pepper to the onion, and process. Do so until it looks like a fine paste, about a minute. Place the mixture in a loaf pan and press evenly.

Bake in a water bath (place loaf pan inside another pan filled with water) at 325°F (165°C) for about an hour and 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 170°F (77°C) when checked with a meat thermometer.

Remove from the oven, drain the liquid, and place the loaf pan on a trivet or oven mitt. Cover the meat with aluminum foil for about 15 minutes. 

Place the meat on a cutting board and slice it as thinly as possible with an electric knife (using anything else would be much more difficult).

I added the following step myself as I think it mimics the rotisserie a bit more. Add a few slices to a nonstick frying pan (very little or no oil) and heat gently until the meat browns a little.

In another pan, heat the pita bread.

Finally, place the meat on one half of the pita, topped with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and sweet onion slices.

Serve Homemade Greek gyros with rice pilaf, or fries, and a Greek salad!

Notes

You can use 100% lamb or 100% beef if you don't eat one or the other. Meat freezes well, just place in a Ziploc or airtight container and store fit or up to 4 months in the freezer. Just reheat by pan-frying the meat until warmed through.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management, a bachelor’s in mass communication and cyber-analysis, a master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week.

Greek Cuisine,  Mediterranean, Kilbride, Potpourri of Frugality, Homemade, Do it yourself