This recipe may not be a seasonal one, but it is the week of Tsikno-Thursday. So there is only one away: Greek pork gyro with carrot sauce.
But first let me tell you what Tsikno-Thursday is. Tsikno-Thursday, or else BBQ Thursday, signals the start of the last weekend that observant Greek Orthodox Church members are permitted to eat meat before fasting for Lent. They say that Greeks try to consume enough meat on this day to carry them through the entire 40 days of Lent.
I am not a person who let a religion define my eating habits. My eating habits are mainly determined by my personal ethic.
For example, in winter I will not buy tomatoes, while in summer I totally forget about cabbage. If I want to taste flavors of another season, I make sure I have locked them while in season inside a jar. For example, I will seek for flavors inside my jars, which either have sun-dried tomatoes for the moody winter days, or pickled cabbage for summer sandwiches.
As for meat and its consumption, I try to limit it. Moreover, most of the times I buy meat from a local farm or a butcher that I trust. Whereas, lately together with my mom or my sister we buy a whole hog together. This way we avoid the food waste, nothing is thrown away. None part of the animal.
Greek pork gyro
Most of the Greek people I know prefer to spend Tsikno-Thrusday in a local taverna. I would probably have done the same if I wasn’t a stay at home person. So I decided to make my own homemade Greek pork gyro for this special day. For making Greek gyro I have used a recipe by Akis Petretzikis (he is a very famous Greek chef), after making some changes.
Greek pork gyro with carrot sauce
The homemade Greek pork gyro was accompanied by super delicious oven-fried potatoes and carrot sauce. At the beginning I used to call this sauce carrot-tzatziki. You see tzatziki is the best friend of Greek gyros. But there is no cucumber, no dill, no garlic. So I call it jut a carrot sauce. So, let’s call it carrot sauce.
You may wonder why I didn’t use tzatziki for this recipe. The answer is one: Cucumber is out of season.
Recipe notes
A very important factor in this recipe is the temperature of the pan. The pan temperature should be high when adding the meat to the fire.
Equally important, however, is not only to keep the temperature high in the beginning but also to maintain it. So it is advisable not to add the whole quantity of the pork at once. Add the meat gradually, maybe you will have to split it in 3-4 batches, depending on the surface of the pan.
Also, before start making the homemade Greek gyro you have to keep in mind that this is a recipe that needs the meat to be marinated. For better results marinate the meat from the previous day.
Note: The dark brown of the meat is due to the sugar that the marinate had.
Greek pork gyro with carrot sauce
Ingredients
For making Greek pork gyro
- 500 gr tenderloin
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lard (or 2 more olive oil)
- 8 tbsp white vinegar ,plus more for cooking
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- freshly ground pepper
For making the carrot sauce
- 200 gr strained yogurt
- 1 carrot, grated
- 4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
For serving
- oven-fried potatoes
- 4 bagels
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- onion, chopped
Instructions
For making Greek pork gyro
- By using a sharp knife remove the white membrane that the meat has on its top.
- In a large bowl, add the meat and the finely chopped onion. Add the oil, lard, vinegar, sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Refrigerate and allow the meat to marinate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Let a non-stick pan get very hot over high heat, to the point where it is smoking. When it is hot enough, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and add the meat in 3 batches. Avoid to add to tthe pan the onions of the marinate because they will probably get burnt.
- As soon as it has browned on one side, turn over and brown on the other side. When ready, add 1 tablespoon vinegar and stir. Remove from pan and continue with the next batch.
For making the carrot sauce
- Peel the carrot and grate it. Leave for 15 minutes in a strainer with some salt, in order the salt to draw out the excess water of the carrots. Squeeze the carrots with your hands before adding them to the yogurt.
- In a large bowl add the strained yogurt, carrot and chopped parsley. Stir.
- Add olive oil and salt as desired. Stir again.
Serving Greek pork gyro
- Place the sauce on the bagel, add finely chopped onionn, Greek gyro and finally the oven-fried potatoes.
I will be very happy if you decide to celebrate with the Greeks the Tsikno-Thursday. If you do, please remember to marinate the pork meat overnight. You can the Greek pork gyro with everything you like.
You can add tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, tzatziki sauce or any other combination of toppings you like. Just remember to keep it seasonal! If you join us please let me know either on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
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