Cypriot Pork Souvlaki recipe

When I was working in Athens, one of our regular favourite takeaways was the Souvlaki Man. It was one of the simplest lunches but quite delicious. If you are visiting Greece or Cyprus, you will find a souvlaki stall serving these grilled meat (usually pork) rolled up in soft flat breads with a bit of salad and zingy tzatziki.

It’s been a while since I had a nice Cypriot souvlaki wrap and attempted to make some. I used this recipe by Jo Pratt. It is quite easy to put together, just marinate the meat and grill on a barbecue or in an oven. I didn’t put my meat on skewers and didn’t use a BBQ. Instead, I fried the meat on a griddle pan and wrapped it up in some Italian Piada. In Greece, they don’t use the pitta bread like we find here. They use a version that is a bit thicker and softer to wrap up their souvlaki.

This is a recipe by Jo Pratt from her book, In the Mood for Healthy Food. It is deceptively simple to make, healthy and really delicious. Just like in a Greek Taverna.

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Greek Pork Souvlaki recipe

Ingredients

• 1 kg free range pork shoulder or neck diced to about 2cm pieces
• lemon juice
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions

• Out the meat into a bowl and mix with the lemon juice, oregano, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper a glug of olive oil.
• Cover and leave in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour thought you can leave it until the next day for the flavours to develop further.
• When you are ready to cook, thread the meat onto metal skewers or wooden ones that have been soaked in water to prevent them from burning. Cook the skewers on a BBQ or under a pre heated fri;ll set to hight for 8-10 minutes , turning occasionally until deep golden and slightly charred.
• Set aside to rest while you heat the pittas by briefly putting them on the BBQ or under the frill until just warm but not crisp.
• To serve, put a big spoon of tzatziki onto the bread, some of the pork and then top with your choice of salad.
• Wrap and serve hot wiht pickled chillies and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over.
• Note: You will be spoilt for choice when buying great quality tzatziki in Cyprus, however, it is really easy to make your own. You can find the recipe here.

Ingredients courtesy of JamesVilla Holidays.