I made a culinary discovery, quite by accident, while researching the foods of Greece and its islands.
One of my gastronomic quests was to find the perfect, authentic Greek Village Salad or Horiatiki Salata—the county-style specialty of fresh tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, onions, olives, feta cheese, oregano and sometimes capers—one of Greece’s best-loved dishes.
On a bright sunny day in Athens, as I sipped on a glass of local ouzo and had the first of many village salads that I would eat during my trip, a woman walked by holding something wrapped in paper. She asked if she could join me and, happy to have a lunch buddy, I said yes. I asked what she was eating. “It’s a souvlaki, the Greek lunch shops’, most famous offering—the Parthenon of fast food!” she exclaimed. I smiled, we continued to chat, and toasted each other with our glasses of ouzo. My new quest was made clear — find the quintessential souvlaki!
My favorite Athens haunt was the Plaka, the old quarter beneath the Acropolis. It was at a sidewalk café where I found my perfect souvlaki! Morsels on a stick don’t get any better than Greece’s signature brochettes marinated in lemon juice and oregano, sizzled on skewers, and folded into thick, bready pita with juicy-ripe tomatoes, onions, crisp peppers, parsley, and garlicky tzatziki.! I sampled many souvlakia, including pork, chicken, lamb, beef, and grilled vegetable—my favorite. You can substitute skewered roasted or grilled vegetables for chicken or meat and add sun-dried tomatoes when vine-ripe summer tomatoes are not in season. Mid-Eastern flatbread purchased from Trader Joe’s is the bread of choice for me. No, the flatbread and dried tomatoes are not traditional, but who cares! It’s delicious!
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Dried Tomatoes and Tzatziki
- Two 8-inch wood skewers, soaked in water for 15 minutes
- Tzatziki (recipe follows)
- 2 Mid-Eastern flatbreads or pita breads, warmed
- Half a boneless, skinless chicken breast (6- to 8-ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, minced
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- 6 black olives, such as Kalamata, halved and pitted
- Generous sprinkling of good-quality paprika
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Place the chicken in a non-reactive bowl. Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and garlic. Toss the chicken cubes in the marinade and marinate for 15 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, make the Tzatziki, and refrigerate.
Light a grill or heat a broiler. Thread the chicken onto skewers, and grill the chicken over high heat or broil, turning once, until done, about 5 minutes total.
Holding a flatbread or pita in one hand, and the skewer with the other hand, pull the chicken from the skewer into the bread. Top the chicken with onions, dried tomatoes, green peppers, olives, paprika, salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining skewers. To serve, top the souvlakia with dollops of tzatziki. Yum! Serves 2
Refreshing tzatziki should have the consistency of a medium-thick yogurt, and a great tzatziki contains garlic—lots of it!
Tzatziki
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 to 4 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 cup Greek-style yogurt or whole or low-fat yogurt
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, sliced in half and seeded, and cut in ¼-inch dice, then squeezed to remove some of the liquid
- 1 teaspoon or more of fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
- Freshly ground white, to taste
Spread the salt on a cutting board and finely mince the garlic on top of the salt. Transfer the garlic and salt to a bowl, add the yogurt, and stir to combine.
Add the cucumber to the yogurt and stir in the remaining ingredients. Makes about 2 cups. Refrigerate for up to two days. Serve any leftover tzatziki as a dip with raw veggies or toasted pita triangles.
Recipe Tips
If you can’t find a thick, Greek-style yogurt and want to thicken a conventional yogurt, choose a plain product without gums, pectin, gelatin or other stabilizers. Whole-milk yogurt will give the best results. Line a sieve with a double thickness of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Put the yogurt in the sieve and let it drain until it is as thick as you like, from 30 minutes to several hours. Refrigerate if draining for more than 1 hour.
To keep flatbread or pita bread warm for the souvlaki, wrap the bread in parchment paper then in foil. Preheat oven to 325˚ and heat bread for 15 minutes. The bread will stay warm for 10 to 12 minutes after removing from the oven.
Try variations on tzatziki: omit the cucumbers and use raw, shredded beets, carrots, or radishes.
Oh, and by the way, I found my wonderful Greek Village Salad at a gracious host’s whitewashed cottage on the strikingly beautiful, beyond picture-perfect island of Santorini overlooking the Agean!
