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kosta_karapinotis

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For this recipe, you will need: 1 onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 pounds ground meat (lamb, pork, beef or a mixture), 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper. Gather these ingredients and have a great gyro night at home with your family and friends!

Processes onion in a food processor, add the garlic and pulse for ten seconds. Add the meat, oregano, salt, and pepper and pulse until all the ingredients are combined. Form the mixture into a the shape of a loaf. I like to make min in the oven, but if you have a rotisserie machine then by all means go ahead and make it there! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the gyro mixture and place in the center of the oven. Bake until cooked all the way through. This should take 40-45 minutes depending on the oven.

Add your favorite toppings and place the meat on a pita with tzatziki and you have a great tasting gyro!

Homemade-Gyro-Meat-720x478.jpg
 
For this recipe, you will need: 1 onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 pounds ground meat (lamb, pork, beef or a mixture), 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper. Gather these ingredients and have a great gyro night at home with your family and friends!

Processes onion in a food processor, add the garlic and pulse for ten seconds. Add the meat, oregano, salt, and pepper and pulse until all the ingredients are combined. Form the mixture into a the shape of a loaf. I like to make min in the oven, but if you have a rotisserie machine then by all means go ahead and make it there! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the gyro mixture and place in the center of the oven. Bake until cooked all the way through. This should take 40-45 minutes depending on the oven.

Add your favorite toppings and place the meat on a pita with tzatziki and you have a great tasting gyro!

View attachment 764
Kosta, that sounds really good & I am going to try it. I am a little confused though, as I have always eaten gyros (pork or chicken), which are usually thin slivers of the meat, not mince. Will this cut like gyros meat?
 
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Kosta, that sounds really good & I am going to try it. I am a little confused though, as I have always eaten gyros (pork or chicken), which are usually thin slivers of the meat, not mince. Will this cut like gyros meat?
It sounds like it will be more like the gyro meat that you get in the fast food places. I've made gyro at home like this and the texture is not the exact same but the flavour is there!
 
For this recipe, you will need: 1 onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 pounds ground meat (lamb, pork, beef or a mixture), 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper. Gather these ingredients and have a great gyro night at home with your family and friends!

Processes onion in a food processor, add the garlic and pulse for ten seconds. Add the meat, oregano, salt, and pepper and pulse until all the ingredients are combined. Form the mixture into a the shape of a loaf. I like to make min in the oven, but if you have a rotisserie machine then by all means go ahead and make it there! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the gyro mixture and place in the center of the oven. Bake until cooked all the way through. This should take 40-45 minutes depending on the oven.

Add your favorite toppings and place the meat on a pita with tzatziki and you have a great tasting gyro!

View attachment 764
 
I do mine in the slow cooker. works great!
 
This looks great! When doing gyros like this, the texture isn't quite the same as the store bought stuff, but the flavor is there. Also, I like to do it at home so I can control the amount of salt and the sources of meat that go in.
 

My Family’s Keftedes Recipe

Keftedes are one of those foods that always remind me of family gatherings. Everyone seems to make them a little differently, but this is the basic version my family has always used.

For about a pound of ground beef, we add one small grated onion, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, a little fresh mint, one egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, and a small splash of red wine vinegar. Sometimes we add a little grated garlic as well.

The important part is mixing everything well and then letting the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a little while before shaping the keftedes. We make them fairly small, roll them lightly in flour, and fry them in olive oil until browned on the outside and cooked through.

We usually serve them with lemon, potatoes, salad, or tzatziki.

How does your family make keftedes? I’m especially curious about which herbs and seasonings everyone uses. Thought I'd share!

How Much Garlic in a Batch of Tzatziki?

How much garlic do you usually put in a batch of tzatziki? I think I may be using a little too much. I usually make mine with about 2 cups of Greek yogurt and 4 cloves of garlic, along with cucumber, olive oil, and the other usual ingredients.

It tastes great when I first make it, but we usually take about three days to finish the batch. By the second or third day, the garlic flavor and smell become really strong. Some people in my household love that and don’t mind it at all, but others think it becomes a bit overpowering. I’m starting to agree that four cloves might be too much, especially since the garlic seems to get stronger as it sits.

What do you all do? How many cloves would you use for about 2 cups of Greek yogurt?

How does your family season dolmades?

I’ve been thinking about how much dolmades can vary from one family to another, especially when it comes to seasoning. Even when the basic ingredients are similar, the flavor can be completely different depending on which herbs and spices are used.

How does your family season dolmades? Do you use mostly dill and parsley, or do you add mint as well? I’ve also seen recipes that include green onions, oregano, or even a little cinnamon, especially when meat is part of the filling.

I’m curious whether you season the rice mixture pretty heavily before rolling the grape leaves or keep it simple and let the lemon and olive oil provide most of the flavor. Does your family add lemon juice directly to the filling, or only during cooking and serving?

I’d especially love to hear about any regional or family traditions. What gives your dolmades their distinctive flavor?

What is the secret to making really good Greek lemon potatoes?

I've been making Greek lemon potatoes for years, and it's one of those dishes I make completely by feel. I don't measure anything, and I never really thought about how I make them because it's all second nature to me.

Recently, I tried teaching someone how to make them. Everything seemed straightforward while we were cooking together, but when they went home and tried making them on their own, all kinds of things went wrong! The potatoes weren't cooking evenly, the texture wasn't quite right, and the lemon flavor didn't come through the way it should.

It made me realize how much I rely on instinct when cooking traditional Greek food. I rarely write down recipes, so explaining every little detail is harder than I expected!

For those who make Greek lemon potatoes regularly, what tips would you give someone who's just learning?

Do you put potatoes in your briam?

I've noticed that there are quite a few variations of briam, especially when it comes to which vegetables people include. One ingredient I'm particularly curious about is potatoes. Do you always put potatoes in your briam, or do you prefer making it without them?

I usually think of briam as a combination of zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and plenty of olive oil. I love how the potatoes absorb all those wonderful flavors as everything slowly roasts together in the oven.

However, I've seen recipes that leave the potatoes out entirely and focus more on the summer vegetables. I imagine that makes the dish a little lighter.

I'm also curious whether there are regional differences in how briam is prepared throughout Greece. Does your family have a particular way of making it? And what vegetables do you consider absolutely essential?
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