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Bringing the flavours of Greek street food into your kitchen is as easy as Gyro – Tsatziki – Bougatsa!

BY LESLI CHRISTIANSON-KELLOW

Enjoying a meal together is central to traditional Greek culture; gathering with family and friends around a table laden with delicious food that almost always include ripe red tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, plump olives, salty feta, savoury meats, and rich Greek yogurt.

‘Fresh from the garden’ goodness, after all, is the foundation of Greek cuisine. By combining simple, easy to find ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, oregano, garlic, rosemary, mint, and dill, with fresh vegetables and meats, it’s easy to bring the taste of Greece into your mealtimes.

Although Greek food is delicious any time of year, enjoying it outdoors with strings of patio lanterns and a few bottles of Mythos Lager might just transport you to a taverna in Greece. Add some casual and tasty Greek street foods like Gyros, Tsatziki, Horiatiki (Greek Salad) and Bougatsa and you might just have a weekly ritual on your hands. And the best part? You can create these Greek favourites in your own kitchen with ingredients found locally.

The Gyro (pronounced “Ghee-ro”), is a popular Greek street food found in both large cities like Athens and on tiny islands,

Elike Skopelos (Think Mamma Mia!). The savoury meat (whether it’s pork, chicken, beef or lamb) is simply spiced and tightly stacked on a vertical rotisserie, and slowly roasted for hours at a low temperature. This cooking method creates a meat that’s juicy and tender. To serve, the meat is thinly sliced and nestled on a pita bread, alongside tomatoes, onions, feta, and French fries. The finishing touch is a dollop of garlicky tzatziki sauce. Tsatziki is a yogurt-based sauce that combines garlic, cucumber, white wine vinegar, and olive oil, to create an addictive sauce that is served alongside most Greek

dishes and used as a condiment or a dip.

And for dessert? Bougatsa - a popular Greek street food that is an addictive pie-like creation consisting of a creamy semolina custard middle surrounded by layers of phyllo and sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar. Bougatsa is definitely meant to be shared and tastes even better the next day!

Gyros

Serves 6-8

6-8 pita breads 1.8 Kg pork shoulder blade roast 1 Tbs (15 mL) olive oil 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 350 g onions, sliced 350 g red or orange bell peppers, sliced 1 Tbs (15 mL) olive oil ½ tsp salt 200 g French fries, quick baking 2 cups (500 mL) tsatziki (see recipe below) 85 g feta, crumbled 200 g tomatoes, sliced 1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Rub olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper over pork roast. Brown each side in a pot on the stove. Place in the preheated oven in a covered roasting pan. 2. Bake for 30 minutes then turn heat down to 325° F, and bake until internal temperature reaches 155° F. Remove from oven, cover with tin foil and let rest. Pork takes approximately 20 minutes per pound to cook when covered. 3. While the pork is roasting, slice onions and peppers in half and then into ½ cm thick strips. Transfer to a baking sheet. Toss in the oil and salt. 4. Once the pork has finished roasting, remove from the oven and cover with tin foil. Let rest. 5. With the oven at 400° F. Place the pan of onions and peppers into the oven for about 20 minutes (until onions are translucent and peppers start to brown around the edges). 6. Place the fries on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until baked. Both pans will be in the oven. Remove when ready. 7. Slice the pork roast and place on the pan that holds the pepper and onions, add the fries. This is a brilliant way to serve and have guests to make their own gyros, family-style. 8. To prepare a Gyro: On a pita bread, slather Tsatziki, arrange onions, peppers, pork, and fries. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and tomatoes. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

2 cups (500 mL) Greek yogurt 100 g cucumber, peeled and finely grated 4 garlic cloves, pressed 2 Tbs (30 mL) olive oil 2 tsp (10 mL) white wine vinegar 1 Tbs fresh dill, finely chopped To taste salt and pepper

1. Line a fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter, and set over a bowl. Add yogurt and let sit in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours. The longer the yogurt is strained, the thicker it becomes. When ready, transfer the yogurt to a bowl. 2. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the grated cucumber and add to the yogurt. 3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Combine thoroughly.

Bougatsa

Makes 20

6 cups (1.5 L) 2 percent milk 1 tsp (15 mL) vanilla 1½ cups sugar 1½ cups semolina 1 tsp (15 mL) lemon juice 5 eggs, whisked in bowl ½ cup unsalted butter, melted 12 sheets phyllo pastry 1 Tbs cinnamon ¼ cup icing sugar

1. In a stockpot, combine milk, vanilla, sugar, semolina, and lemon juice. Whisk continuously. Once custard begins to thicken, scoop 1 cup (250 mL) into the eggs and stir. This is just a trick to warm up the eggs so they incorporate nicely into the custard. Pour the mixture into the stockpot. Continue whisking until the eggs have combined well into the custard. Set aside. 2. Preheat oven to 350° F. Using a pastry brush, butter the bottom and sides of a 22x33 cm (9x13”) baking dish. 3. Lay one phyllo sheet into the baking dish allowing the excess phyllo to hang over the sides of the baking dish. Generously spread the melted butter onto the sheet of phyllo, including the overhanging edges. Repeat this step with five more sheets of phyllo. 4. Pour the custard into the baking dish over the stack of phyllo. Use a spatula to scrape the pot clean. 5. Arrange the remaining six phyllo sheets on top of the custard, again generously buttering between each layer, including the edges hanging over the baking dish. 6. Tightly roll the edges of the phyllo together towards the baking dish, gently tucking the rolled edges neatly into the pan. It’s okay if the phyllo cracks or splinters. It’s not meant to be perfect. Think rustic. 7. Lightly score into the first 2 layers of phyllo with a sharp knife, as if you are cutting the bougatsa into 20 pieces. This will allow the steam to escape and make it easier to serve. 8. Slightly wet your fingers and then flick your fingers over the bougatsa so a bit of water hits the top. This will stop the phyllo from puffing up too much. 9. Place the bougatsa in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until it is slightly puffed up and is golden brown. Gently poke a knife into the custard and if the knife comes out clean, it has set and is finished baking. Remove from oven. 10. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then sprinkle generously with cinnamon and then icing sugar. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Lesli is a freelance writer, expert gardener, and home cook who enjoys creating dishes reminiscent of her travels. Her writing has appeared in the Calgary Herald, Condo-Xtra, WestJet Magazine, and others. Instagram @LesliCKellow.