Introduction: Cinnamon Souvlaki-Pita

About: I'm a software guy who likes to tinker with hardware in my spare time. I'm not an expert at anything, but I'll try anything.


Souvlaki is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It may be served on the skewer for eating out of hand, in a pita sandwich with garnishes and sauces, or on a dinner plate, often with pilaf. The meat is traditionally pork in Greece, or in modern times increasingly chicken. In other countries and for tourists, souvlaki may be made with other meats such as lamb and sometimes fish (especially swordfish).

The terminology of souvlaki and its variants is confusing and inconsistent. Depending on the context, the term 'souvlaki' by itself may refer to any of the variants. In some regions and some restaurants, the name shish kebab is used to denote a particular variant of souvlaki(e.g. with vegetables on the skewer), but it is essentially a synonym. In many regions, primarily Athens and the south of Greece, a gyros sandwich is nicknamed a 'souvlaki'.

-Wikipedia.org

This tasty dish serves approximately 12 people, and is surprisingly easy to make. Souvlaki is sometimes referred to as "the hamburger of Greece", in that, there are thousands of restaurants and stalls that each have a variation on the recipe. I think the cinnamon really sets this variation apart from the rest.

I have included a PDF of my recipe below.

Step 1: Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients:

Meat
-4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into small pieces
-1/4 cup white wine
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-2 teaspoon dried oregano
-3 cloves garlic, crushed (or 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-3 tablespoons sugar
-black pepper to taste
Filling
-diced onions (optional)
-diced green bell peppers (optional)
-cucumbers (cut in half and sliced thin)
-tomatoes (diced)
-whole milk yogurt
-feta cheese
6 large Pitas (pocket bread)

once you have all this, you can get down to the cooking.

Step 2: Cooking

In a large glass bowl, mix together wine, olive oil, soy sauce, oregano, garlic, cinnamon, sugar, and pepper to make the marinade.

Put meat in a large (1 gallon) freezer bag, add the marinade and let it sit for 2 hours.

Cook the meat thoroughly in a frying pan or skillet.

Lightly brush the pitas with olive oil and allow them to warm in the oven. They should still be relatively soft, so don't overheat them.

Place meat, pitas, and all fillings in bowls and plates to serve.

Step 3: Eating

Take a pita and cut it in half.
Put meat, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and peppers into the pocket.
Pour one or two spoonfuls of yogurt into the opening.
Top with crumbled or grated feta cheese.

Enjoy.