Lamb souvlaki with tzatziki

For the lamb souvlaki, I used a marinade recipe from chef Simon Rimmer. I left the meat in the fridge overnight, and just whacked it onto skewers and the barbeque when I got back from work in the evening.

Lamb souvlaki
(serves 4)

• 1kg lamb shoulder, cut into big cubes
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 1/2 cup (125ml) red wine
• 1 Tb dried oregano
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1. Put the chunks of meat in a ziplock bag.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together, and pour into the bag with the meat.
3. Seal the bag, and give it a good massage before leaving it in the fridge to marinate.
4. Heat your barbeque to medium high.
5. Thread the chunks of meat onto four skewers. (If you are using wooden skewers, you may need eight – and you should soak them beforehand.)
6. Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the meat is cooked to your liking.
7. Serve with Greek salad, toasted pitta and tzatziki.

Tzatziki
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1/2 an English cucumber (or a few small ones, if available)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 Tb olive oil (or to taste)
• lemon juice (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Coarsely grate the cucumber, sprinkle with salt and set aside for ten minutes.
2. Crush the garlic with half a teaspoon of salt in a mortar until it turns into a paste. Stir in the olive oil.
3. Put the yogurt in a bowl, scrape in the garlic mixture and stir to combine.
4. Squeeze all the moisture you can from the grated cucumber. (You can either use your hands, or gather it up in a square of muslin and wring it through that.)
5. Add the cucumber to the yogurt and stir to combine. Season and adjust the balance of flavours, maybe stirring in a bit more olive oil or a squeeze of lemon juice.
6. Let the tzatziki rest in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavours to marry.

Family score: 8.3 out of 10

Tags: barbeque, dairy-free, gluten-free, Greek food, lamb, pitta, skewers