Greek Souvlaki (Kabob), Tzatziki and Horiatiki (Recipes)

written by

posted on

July 31, 2023

Doesn’t this image conjure up a beautiful feeling of relaxation and ease?

No cares, no to-do list. Just blue sea, delicious food, a bottle of wine, and a warm summer breeze.

I sure wish I could tell you I took that photo – because it would mean I was sitting on Santorini, basking in the warm glow ;)

And technically I could have taken that photo because I was in Greece for three months during college, reading novels by Nikos Kazantzakis while sitting in the places he described, wandering archeological digs, viewing famous ruins, soaking in the sun…

… and eating and eating and eating.

The other images here actually are of my time in Greece, but I searched in vain for shots of my favorite dishes. Looking back through my albums (of photos taken on real film and actually printed out, no less) I see that I wasn’t much into food photography at that time. LOL. I guess it was before Facebook and social media made taking photos of your dinner a thing. (gasp! Was there really such a time?!)

I loved every minute of my time in Greece and when the Farmhands are old enough to travel it’s absolutely on my list of places to return to. It’s a bit hard not to start tapping my foot right now.

Luckily it’s easy to recreate a tasty bite of the memories right here at home.

After all we have some pretty amazing ocean views around here, too, and the summer sun is shining.

All that’s missing is the authentic food – and I have a fix for that :)

That’s what I’m sharing today - my tried and true recipes to conjure up the taste and aroma of dining in Greece.

These tasty dishes never fail to start me on a trip down memory lane.

Souvlaki with Pita (Kabob) is an iconic Greek dish and my favorite to whip up when I feel the call of returning to the islands, especially this time of year when all the necessary ingredients are fresh, local and oh-so-tasty.

The marinated meat is the cornerstone to the classic Greek flavor, accompanied by tomatoes, onions, and Tzatziki.

Pitas are optional, as are French fries…

If you’ve been to Greece, you know that French fries come with pretty much everything. I was sure surprised the first time I ordered an omelet and it was full of fries! And often Souvlaki with Pita is served stuffed with fries in addition to the meat and vegetables.

I happen to prefer my Souvlaki without fries, but of course feel free to add them for the sake of nostalgia ;)

And it all comes together with a drizzle of Tzatziki and accompanied by a dish of Horiatiki (traditional Greek salad). I’ve included those recipes below, too.

“Souvlaki” refers to grilled meat cooked on a skewer, but if you’re not one for using the grill you can roast or broil the marinated meat in the oven. I bet you could even pan fry it, too (without breading). I haven’t tried that yet, but I imagine it would do the trick.

*What cut of meat should I use?

Pork and beef are both great options for this recipe.

For pork, we suggest the kabob pieces, which are cut from the leg. Trim away any of the silvery interconnective tissue (silver skin) as it can be tough to chew with quick cooking methods like those used for this recipe. Then cut it into bite sized pieces before skewering and grilling.

The same goes for beef stew meat. Stew meat is a great option as long as you remove the interconnective tissue before grilling. It is absolutely worth it to take a bit of time for this extra step. Follow the same rule for London Broil or other more economical cuts containing interconnective tissue.

Pork chops also make amazing souvlaki/kabob.

As do beef steaks. Rib Eye, NY Strip, and Top Sirloin Steak are fantastic options and easy to prepare - just cube and grill.

I do suggest cutting the meat fairly small before cooking, we like 1” pieces, but small pieces equal a short cooking time.

Don’t overcook! No more than medium doneness.

You want the meat to hit the safe cooking temperature and then come off the heat or you risk drying it out and making it tough. And remember that the temperature will continue to rise for 5 or so minutes after you remove it from the heat.

Another important ingredient for traditional Souvlaki is Tzatziki, the zippy cucumber sauce, and I’ve included my quick recipe.

And it just wouldn’t be complete without Horiatiki - traditional Greek Salad – another recipe you'll find below. Make sure you pick up the freshest, tastiest veggies because this is one of those times that the quality ingredients make it or break it. Thank goodness the local cucs and toms are on!

Until we can step on that plane to Greece, the taste and aroma of these recipes have me marching right down memory lane. I can almost see the blue doors…

Souvlaki (Kabob) with Pita

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 lb pork or beef cut into 1” pieces *see notes above for best choices

¼ C olive oil

1 T fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

2 T lemon juice

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Toppings:

Pitas

Tomatoes, sliced

Onion, thinly sliced

Fresh parsley, chopped

Tzatziki (recipe below)

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or zip top bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure all the meat is in contact with the marinade.

Place pieces of meat on skewers and grill over medium heat (or roast in oven) until just done. About 145 degrees internal temperature.

Allow to rest five minutes.

Serve on warm/grilled pitas with onion, tomato, a sprinkle of parsley and tzatziki.

Tzatziki

1 C Greek yogurt

½ C cucumber, shredded, allowed to drain and squeezed of excess water

2-3 cloves minced garlic

2 T olive oil

1 T vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

A few grinds of pepper

Directions

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Adjust salt and pepper as desired. This makes a nice, thick dressing. For a very thin dressing, blend with a stick blender or mixer.

Horiatiki (Traditional Greek Salad)

2 tomatoes sliced into wedges

1 cucumber, sliced thick

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

Greek olives

3 oz feta cheese in large chunks

2-3 T olive oil

1-2 T vinegar

Salt

Oregano

Arrange prepared vegetables on a plate. Scatter a handful of Greek olives and the feta on top.

Drizzle with the oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with salt and oregano.

Now, go order your beef or pork and get ready to satisfy your craving for a taste of Greece!

Top 3 Secrets for Great Kabobs (Recipe)

Have you grilled shish kabobs yet this summer? I have to say, they’re one of my favorites and something I look forward to making every year as soon as the sun starts to shine. Shish kabobs are simple, healthy and so perfectly suited to the fresh tastes of summer. Quick enough for a weeknight, they can also be prepped in advance for a sunny deck party. Their roots are in multiple culinary traditions. Sometimes they’re just called Skewers. In Greece they’re called Souvlaki, which is what I made this week for my family. So what are they? At the most basic level, shish kabobs are bits of meat and/or vegetables placed onto skewers and grilled. The combinations of ingredients and flavors are endless, so they easily suit dietary needs, flavor preferences, and whatever is fresh for the season. But there are a few ways kabobs can go wrong if you don’t have the right methods in place. To help you get it right and have the best eating experience, today I’m sharing my top 3 secrets for great kabobs. Follow these 3 top rules and I can nearly guarantee you’ll create a delicious outcome every time. 1. Remove any connective tissue from the meat before grilling. Skip this step and you’re going to be disappointed. Connective tissues, like the fascia and silver skin, add a nutritious element to stews - but are enemies to a quick cooking dish like kabobs. Leave them in the kabobs, and you’ll end up with a tough nightmare you can’t chew. So, depending on the cut you choose, make sure to carefully remove any connective tissue before cutting the meat into one inch cubes. Following this advice is especially imperative if choosing a more economical cut of beef, like London Broil, stew meat or Denver steaks. They are delicious and can make great kabobs, but the tradeoff is a bit of extra labor on your part. You don’t have to throw away the trimmed bits, either. Save them in the freezer to add extra flavor and nutrition to your next batch of bone broth. Or cut them up for your dog or cat – best friends for life! Now, don’t confuse undesirable connective tissue with intermuscular marbling. You can tell it’s connective tissue to be removed if the muscle pulls away on both sides (see photo). Marbling, on the other hand, is the thin white veins of fat that run through the muscle. Marbling is delicious and highly desirable in kabobs. Leave it in! For the easiest to prepare and most tender bite, choose a quality steak like the New York Strip, Rib Eye or Top Sirloin. These cuts have very little, if any, connective tissue, so you’ll save the trimming step. Plus the NY and Rib Eye especially have the perfect amount of marbling to make for a super tender bite. Since our steaks are cut at 1” thick, all you need to do is finish cutting them into 1” cubes. Click here to buy steak for kabobs now. If you’re looking for a pork options, pork chops and kabobs are your best bet. They’re both delicious, but make sure to follow the rule on removing connective tissue when opting for the kabob. 2. Place meat on separate skewers from the vegetables. This is important because the vegetables are going to take waaaayyy longer to cook than the meat. Put them on the same skewers like in the pretty magazine pictures and you’re either going to have shoe-leather meat or raw vegetables. Which leads to… 3. Don’t overcook the meat. Overcooked, dried out meat is tough meat. I probably sound like a broken record on this point, but it’s so easy to get this step wrong. And it's important because I want you to enjoy every bite of our premium grass-fed beef - every time. So first grill those vegetables (the ones you placed on separate skewers) until they’re lovely and crisp-tender. Set them aside and THEN throw on the meat skewers. Now, don’t blink. Definitely don’t walk away to fill your drink, set the table, or mediate a kid dispute… In a flash, those succulent meat skewers will reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees. You’ll just have time to turn them and get lovely grill marks on all sides. Take them off the heat and rest them on a plate for 5 minutes. The internal temp will raise another 5 degrees and the meat juices will reabsorb for the most tender, juicy bite. Use a medium (not high) flame, for best results. Bonus Tips Get the family into the action. Cut up all the vegetables, toss them in olive oil, and then let everyone make their own skewers with whatever ingredients they prefer. When we made kabobs this last week, the Farmhands each made their own skewers and had so much fun in the process. Farmhand Vera eschewed the mushrooms. For Farmhand Eli, no onion. Farmhand Grace put on everything because that’s most fun - especially the “vacchinnies” (translation: zucchini). And no one punctured their hand with the sharp skewers! At least after I showed them how to put the veggies on a cutting board instead of the palm of your hand :) Final flavor tip - Be sure to marinate the meat skewers for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. My absolute favorite marinade is from my Greek Souvlaki Recipe, because it complements both One Straw beef and pork without covering up the inherently luscious flavor. And don’t forget to make the tzatziki dressing from the same recipe. Drizzle it over the meat and vegetables on your plate. Then dust with parsley, salt and fresh ground pepper for the perfect finish. Are you hungry yet? I just finished up the last of our kabob leftovers for lunch and I’m wishing I’d made more… Click here to order beef or pork for kabobs now.

Greek Souvlaki (Kabob), Tzatziki and Horiatiki (Recipes)

*What cut of meat should I use?

Souvlaki (Kabob) with Pita

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 lb pork or beef cut into 1” pieces *see notes above for best choices

¼ C olive oil

1 T fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

2 T lemon juice

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Toppings:

Pitas

Tomatoes, sliced

Onion, thinly sliced

Fresh parsley, chopped

Tzatziki (recipe below)

Directions

Tzatziki

1 C Greek yogurt

½ C cucumber, shredded, allowed to drain and squeezed of excess water

2-3 cloves minced garlic

2 T olive oil

1 T vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

A few grinds of pepper

Directions

Horiatiki (Traditional Greek Salad)

2 tomatoes sliced into wedges

1 cucumber, sliced thick

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

Greek olives

3 oz feta cheese in large chunks

2-3 T olive oil

1-2 T vinegar

Salt

Oregano

Now, go order your beef or pork and get ready to satisfy your craving for a taste of Greece!

More from the blog

Top 3 Secrets for Great Kabobs (Recipe)

A small win plus a new battle for small farms.

Seasoned Taco Meat (Recipe)

One Straw Ranch