Monday's Greek Recipe- Kypriaki Souvla

ΚΥΠΡΙΑΚΗ ΣΟΥΒΛΑ - CYPRUS SOUVLA

The national pastime of all Greek Cypriots is the preparation, cooking process and.... eating of souvla - skewered meats cooked on coal fire. The secret of the success is the choice of prime tender meat, the ideal cuts being the nut of the lean or boned meat of the loin and best end. The preparation and cooking of souvla is usually a man's job, women just prepare the salad and the baked potatoes. Naturally, the cooking on coal fire grill / rotisserie, called foukou, can only take place outdoors!

Ingredients

5 kilos / 11lbs meats lamb and / or pork and chicken

salt and pepper

4 cups olive oil mixed with the juice of 3 fresh lemons

oregano

finely ground coriander seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Cut the meat into big chunks and season to taste.

2. Pass meat evenly through 0. 8meter/2. 5foot long and (2cm) 1/4 inch thick metal skewers so that it won't slip down while on the coal fire grill (foukou). Place the skewers over high fire on the foukou. (see photo below)

3. While the meat is turning brush it with some of the olive oil and lemon juice mixture.

4. Season with some oregano and / or finely ground coriander seeds and continue brushing.

5. Using a BBQ fan or a hair blow drier, keep the coal heat down to medium level until the meats are cooked - they must be brownish.

6. Serve with fresh lemon juice - you will spoil the special taste if you use any other BBQ sauces - baked or jacket potatoes, the traditional Cyprus salad. and some iced cold beer or coke.

Source: Kontoyiannis House

My Cyprus Salad

In a large bowl mix the following :

some rocket

some green lettuce

some cabbage

4 ripe tomatoes

4 cucumbers

1 cup finely cut onion rings

some black olives

some capers

1 cup crushed feta cheese

Salad Dressing

In the blender mix 1/2 cup olive oil, some vinegar or the juice of 2 fresh lemons, salt and pepper and some oregano.

TIPS

- You will need to prepare the coal fire in the foukou at least an hour before placing the skewers.

- You can place your jacket potatoes just below the meats on the coal as well as sausages, liver or mushrooms. Make sure you wrap them all in aluminium paper.

- Brushing the meats while turning (the foukou is battery-operated) is extremely important.

- If you can't have prime tender meats just marinade them for about 5 hours, before placing them on the skewers, in dry white wine and spices such as dried oregano, black pepper and coriander seeds. Then wipe them with kitchen paper before passing the meats through the skewers.

KALI OREXI - BON APPETIT