Eric Akis fires up the barbie for pork tenderloin souvlaki
Homemade souvlaki recalls good ol’ days in Toronto’s Greektown
With my surname being Akis, some readers over the years have assumed my heritage is Greek. Understandable, as Akis is a suffix for several Greek surnames.
But I’m not Greek. As I’ve noted in past columns, my father was Latvian. According to the Latvian Surname Project (celmina.com), Akis means hook.
Despite not having Greek lineage, I have been hooked on Greek cuisine since my early 20s. I was living in Toronto at that time, and my wife and I enjoyed visiting Greektown on Danforth Avenue, particularly when family visited. It was a fun area of the city to take them, and a big part of that was the food we enjoyed at Greek restaurants there.
Those meals got me interested in cooking Greek-style dishes at home, and one I regularly make is souvlaki. The word souvlaki comes from the medieval Greek “souvla,” which means skewer. That’s logical, since souvlaki is most often made with marinated meat, such as pork, lamb or chicken, grilled on a skewer.
You can cook souvlaki on an indoor grill, but I prefer to cook mine on a barbecue, where flames flicker and give the meat a smoky taste and charred look. And because we live on the mild West Coast, that’s something I do year-round.
For today’s recipe, I decided to make souvlaki with pork tenderloin. It is, obviously, tender meat, so my marinade was more about adding flavour than to tenderize.
I served the souvlaki with warm pita bread, homemade tzatziki and Greek salad. With regard to the latter, because it is wintertime, rather than serve the salad cold, I came up with a warm version of it.
To make it, olives and vegetables regularly used in Greek salad, such as onions and peppers, were roasted with olive oil. They were then tossed with tomatoes, feta, oregano and lemon juice, creating a warm and vibrant salad perfect for the season.
You can wrap the pork, tzatziki and salad in the pita bread and eat and enjoy this combination that way. Or you can set the souvlaki, tzatziki and salad on individual plates and serve the pita alongside. If you do the latter, for a more filling Greek-style meal, you could also spoon some hummus and rice or roasted potatoes on each plate.
Pork Tenderloin Souvlaki
Tender pork, flavoured with a tasty marinade, skewered and grilled. Preparation: 25 minutes, plus marinating time Cooking time: six to eight minutes Makes: four servings 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp ground cumin • pinches ground cayenne pepper • freshly ground black pepper to taste 600 grams pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes • salt to taste • olive oil for the grill and drizzling 4 or more Greek-style pita bread, warmed (see Note 1) • tzatziki (see recipe below) • warm Greek-style salad (see recipe below) Combine first nine ingredients in a medium bowl. Add pork and turn to coat. Cover, refrigerate and marinate pork for two to four hours.
Preheat an indoor grill or barbecue to medium-high. Divide and thread pork on four large metal or wooden skewers (see Note 2). Season the souvlaki with salt. Lightly oil your grill. Grill souvlaki six to eight minutes, turning occasionally, or until cooked through. Serve the souvlaki, drizzled with a little olive oil, if desired, with the pita, tzatziki and salad. Note 1: Greek-style, pocket-less pita is sold the deli section of most supermarkets. You can warm the pita by setting it on your grill for 30 seconds or so per side. Note 2: If you use wooden skewers, to prevent scorching, soak them in cold water a few hours before threading on the meat. Do that while the meat marinates. The circular metal skewer shown in today’s photo is sold at some hardware and cookware stores. Eric’s options: To make chicken souvlaki, simply replace the pork with an equal amount of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh.
Tzatziki
This classic, Greek-style, yogurtbased sauce features the lively flavours of cucumber, garlic, lemon and dill. Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: None Makes: about 1 cup 1⁄3 medium English cucumber 3/4 cup thick, Greek-style yogurt 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill 1 small garlic clove, minced 1⁄2 tsp finely grated lemon zest 2 tsp lemon juice • salt and white pepper to taste Set a fine sieve over a bowl. Coarsely grate cucumber into the sieve. Firmly press on cucumber and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Discard liquid in the bowl. Put the drained cucumber in the bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate tzatziki until needed; can be made several hours in advance.
Warm Greek Salad
This is ideal for the winter season, warm version of Greek salad. Zucchini, which roasts nicely, replaces the cucumber often used in cold versions of this salad. Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Makes: four servings 1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 small to medium red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 small to medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 large garlic clove, minced 1/3 cup kalamata olives 3 Tbsp olive oil • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 Tbsp lemon juice 100 grams feta cheese, coarsely crumbled 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh oregano 12 cherry tomatoes, each halved Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl, spread on the baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and then roast for 25 minutes, or until vegetables are just tender.
Remove pan from the oven. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and toss to combine. Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and serve warm, or at room temperature.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.