One of my favourite types of food was Mediterranean food. I could have happily lived solely on it. Well, okay maybe that’s not true because I loved eating a great number of styles of food but I could have eaten a whole lot more! Except octopus! I draw the line on my beloved Mediterranean food right before octopus! Sorry but nuh-uh! No thank you very much! lol

Luckily this recipe is octopus free. I made pork or chicken souvlaki often usually with a nice rice side and Greek salad with home-made dressing. Now, I know that one of my many, many Greek co-workers that I worked with at Mississauga Honda may have something to say about me posting a GREEK recipe given that I’m what they would call a “cake”. To that I say, Too Bad! Until you are following my blog, you have no say! giggles

I have made tzatziki many times and I like the way that it turns out. There is one question that I ask my one Greek follower, you know who you are. Is it mint or dill? I have looked at probably 100 recipes, some saying that the recipe is from their yia-yia straight from Greece. Some say dill, some say mint, some even say parsley! So which is it?? I like to make it with dill but you can substitute what you prefer. Maybe that’s the answer to my question…hmmm?

Ingredients

Pork Souvlaki

• 1 1/2 lb of boneless pork loin or tenderloin
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. of dried oregano
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Tzatzki

• 1/2 of a 750 g container of plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large English cucumber, peeled, grated and the excess liquid squeezed out
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated – I usually added more
• 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. of fresh dill, chopped – I like a little more
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Trim and pork into cubes. Place pork cubes into a ziplock bag.
2. In a bowl whisk together lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour marinade over pork in bag and close bag. Place bag in fridge and marinade for at least 4 hours. You can marinate for up to 24 hours.
3. In a bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
4. Feed pork cubes onto skewers and place on a plate. Keep marinade for basting.
5. Pre-heat grill to medium heat. Oil grill. Cook skewers for ~ 4 minutes per side basting as you go.
6. Remove from grill and tent with foil for ~ 5 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy my pork souvlaki and tzatziki! Of course you can use chicken or lamb. Serve with pita, rice and salad. Happy cooking!