Home made Gyros Pitta

Gyros was something I fell in love with the first time we went to Greece on Holiday, every time we go back I always eat way too many of them.

The ingredients and way they are done vary from Island to Island and shop to shop, some use a big spit roast slab of meat (similar style to donner) some use pork chops and other use flame grilled pork loin, essentially they all end up having similar herbs and spices and presented in a similar way – usually in a pitta or flat bread with tzatziki, mustard, ketchup, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and chips…yes chips! The exception to this was a special gyros I had last year in Parga which came in the most amazing metaxa and cheese sauce.

Anyway after looking through Mark’s photos of his recent trip to Greece and seeing the number of Gyros he had consumed I thought I would have a go at making one at home, it went something like this:

Ingredients

• 2 pork small loin chops or one big one, make sure they have a little bit of fat on as fat = flavour and texture
• 1 floury potato, I love King Edward and Cyprus chippers
• 1 nice big flat bread or pitta
• some sliced red onion
• some sliced tomato
• a couple of lettuce leaves
• mustard
• ketchup
• tzatziki

For the marinade

• splash of white wine vinegar
• glug of olive oil
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of rosemary
• pinch of cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon hot or smoked paprika
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• pinch of garlic powder
• pinch of crushed fennel seed.
• pinch of thyme

Extras

• Kebab sticks
• Griddle pan, bbq or grill.
• Fryer or oven for chips

Method

1. Peel your potato, cut into chips, soak in cold water for as long as possible.
2. Mix all of the herbs and spices together along with the olive oil and white wine vinegar, set aside
3. Bash our your pork so it’s nice and thin then slice into strips, mix in the marinade from step 2 and leave for as long as possible. when ready thread onto your bbq skewers.
4. When ready to cook heat your fryer up to 140 degrees, drain chips and pat dry, fry for 5 mins until soft and starting to brown, remove and allow to cool, turn fryer up to 180 degrees
5. Heat your griddle pan up so it’s smoking, place kebabs on, cook for a few minutes either side so the fat starts to crisp up. Once cooked remove from the heat and allow to rest.
6. Fry your chips until crispy, remove from fryer and allow to drain.
7. Warm your bread then spread the bread with tzatziki, mustard and mayo, top with the onion, lettuce and tomato followed by the meat and some chips. Fold or roll up depending on the size of your bread, enjoy with a nice cold beer.