Adventures in Greek Cuisine

Last night at about 2 o'clock a.m. my husband had a mad craving for gyros. This happens every once in a while, which kinda makes sense, as he used to live in Cyprus. Luck would have it that there is a gyros joint a mere 5-minute walk from our new home. We've been meaning to try it ever since we moved here, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity.

Now, I haven't eaten gyros in ages, but this was definitely not how I remembered it, and hubby confirmed my doubts. The meat wasn't seasoned properly (and due to an unreasonable amount of oregano, I couldn't even determine whether it was pork or chicken), the tomato chunks were too huge so you really had to make an effort eating it, and overall, it was all just.... bland... Not to mention it was quite expensive as well!
So, no sooner had we arrived home than I declared with determination: “Dear, we're having proper gyros for lunch tomorrow!”
Don't you just love shopping for lovely, fresh ingredients on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning? I got some wonderful steak (I opted for beef, as I consider it much more flavorful than pork or chicken), some yummy ripe tomatoes, a few cucumbers (when buying cucumbers, always press the ends. If they are soft, the cucumber is dry, i.e. not fresh.), sour cream, cream cheese and tortillas (couldn't find pita bread).
The dish turned out incredibly tasty, and it was quite quick and easy to make. The only downside is the number of dirty dishes generated, but... what can I say, I'm not the world's best organized person when it comes to cooking.
Anyway, I'm so chuffed with how good this was, I think I'm going to make a huge family dinner one night this week and serve gyros – Natasha style. So, try out the recipe, and I'm off to finish the leftovers!

Ingredients:

1kg (2lb) steak (if you prefer, you could use chicken breast or some lean pork)
4 tortillas
2 ripe tomatoes
2 medium sized cucumbers
2 cloves of garlic or 1/2 tsp powdered garlic
1 dl (½ cup) sour cream
1 cup cream cheese and paprika spread
salt, pepper, spice mix for roast chicken


1.Cut the meat into strips (as thinly as possible), remove all the white bits, beat it as hard as you can to tenderize it and season well. I used a generous amount of pepper and spice mix for roast chicken. Drizzle a bit of oil over the meat and mix thoroughly so that every piece is covered with spices and oil. Grill in a hot, dry pan for 7-8 minutes or until it turns golden brown (the oil from the meat is enough, you don't wanna fry it).
2.Dice the tomatoes and cucumbers in a separate bowl and season with salt.
3.To make the cream cheese and paprika spread, mix the cream cheese with 1 ½ teaspoon of hot paprika powder and two minced cloves of garlic (or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder).
4.Heat the tortillas in the pan you used to cook the meat – a minute will do, and you only need to do one side.
5.Place the tortilla on a piece of tin foil, spread sour cream on one half of it, and the cheese spread on the other. Put some meat in the middle, and the salad on top of it. Wrap the tortilla, and then wrap all of it in the foil, folding the bottom so that nothing can fall out while you eat, and – voila! Your own delicious homemade gyros. Serve it with a side of french fries and eat until your tummy aches!