This has to be the most cooked food in my house . Using either lamb or chicken and served either on skewers with Greek salad , roast oregano and lemon potato's and of course Tzatziki or on a wrap or Pita bread

See at the bottom for my traditional Tzatziki Recipe which is a must with this recipe
Or use the lemon yoghurt sauce instead which is in main recipe

This particular recipe is by recipetineats.
Click on Greek salad or lemon rice to be taken to recipetineats recipe

Not only are home made so much nicer it's also cheaper.

Ingredients​

• 1.2 kg boneless lamb leg , fat trimmed, cut into 2.5cm cubes 900g after trimming) (Note 1)
• 1 tsp cooking salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 – 12 skewers , wooden or bamboo

LAMB SOUVLAKI MARINADE:​

• 5 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 5 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cooking salt

TO SERVE – STUFFED OR MAKE PLATES:​

• 4 – 6 pita bread , warmed or toasted
• tzatziki or lemon yoghurt sauce ( recipe below)
• Greek salad (chop small forswraps ) or shredded lettuce and tomato slices, onion
• Greek lemon rice (to make plates instead of wraps)

Instructions​

MARINATE LAMB:​

• Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat.
• Marinate in fridge for 12 – 24 hours.

SKEWER & COOK:​

• Skewer – Remove meat from marinade and thread 3 to 4 pieces on each to make 12 skewers, or 5 to make 8 larger skewers (pictured in post).
• Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper. (This really makes a difference to the finished dish, better than just in the marinade).
• Cook – Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook half the skewers for 3 minutes, turn then cook the other side for 3 minutes until nicely seared for medium rare, optimum juiciness). Cook longer to personal taste
• Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining skewers.

BBQ COOKING (NOTE 2):​

• Soak skewers – Soak wood/bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes if planning to cook on the BBQ (prevents burning). My skewers are 18cm/7” which fit in a pan (stove cooking).
• Preheat BBQ to medium high. Flat iron hot plate is safer for wooden skewers (so they don't catch fire) else use metal skewers on the grill side.
• Skewer, oil & season – Skewer per above. Drizzle with the oil (so it doesn't stick to the BBQ) then sprinkle both sides with the salt and pepper.
• BBQ cook for 3 minutes on each side.

SERVE:​

• Pile Souvlaki onto a serving platter for DIY wraps with tzatziki , toasted pita bread and Greek salad (chopped small), or shredded lettuce and tomato slices. Else, make plates with lemon rice and a Greek Salad!

Recipe Notes:​

1.
Lamb cut– I like leg the best for tender, juicy meat (especially after marinating!) and great lamb flavour. It tends to come with a thick layer of fat which is best trimmed. Bonless leg is best easier to cut, seems more expensive but your not paying for the bone

diced lamb is also good

Thick cut lamb chops will also work. Lamb back strap is leaner and just isn’t as juicy. Lamb shoulder, shanks and other slow cooking cuts are not suitable for this recipe. I can’t afford to use lamb cutlets or lamb rack for a recipe like this!

2.
BBQ – If grilling on a BBQ, it’s safest to use the flat iron side for wooden skewers. Else, use metal skewers so you can cook on the grill side (ie slats type).

3.
Lemon yogurt sauce –Mix yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice, slosh of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Leftovers will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. For a make-ahead freezer option, put the lamb in the marinade then freeze. Thaw 24 hours – the meat will marinade as it thaws. Then thread and cook per recipe.

Nutrition is per skewer (excludes fixings). An estimation only – it’s always hard to say how much salt and oil in the marinade actually ends up in the finished dish.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:​

Calories:95cal (5%)Carbohydrates:1gProtein:10g (20%)Fat:5g (8%)Saturated Fat:1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat:1gMonounsaturated Fat:3gCholesterol:30mg (10%)Sodium:227mg (10%)Potassium:155mg (4%)Fiber:0.2g (1%)Sugar:0.2gVitamin A:8IUVitamin C:3mg (4%)Calcium:15mg (2%)Iron:1mg (6%)

My Traditional Tzatziki Recipe

• 3 Lebanese cucumber
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely grated or minced
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• Handful of chopped fresh mint
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Method

• Use a box grater to manually grate the cucumbers or you can use a small food processor to finely chop the . Toss the grated cucumbers with ½ teaspoon salt. Spoon the grated cucumber into a cheese cloth or a double thickness napkin and squeeze dry. (There will be a lot of liquid).
• In one large mixing bowl, place the garlic with remaining ½ teaspoon salt, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Mix to combine.
• Add the grated cucumber to the bowl with the garlic mixture. Stir in the yogurt, and a pinch of white or black pepper, and the fresh chopped mint(if using. Stir to combine well.
• Cover and refrigerate for a bit (anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours before serving). This will help thicken the sauce and give it the best texture, while allowing the flavors to meld.