...It's that time again!

[misora]

Without being too TMI, it's the time of month where all I can think about is food/sex/cleaning my apartment, not necessarily in that order. Tonight, having two out of the three already sated, I'm cooking a mediterranean meal: Lamb Gyro with Tzatziki, feta, and chopped onions/tomatoes over pita bread. Because it's so warm this weekend, to drink we have iced mint tea with orange blossom honey, and for dessert we have half of a chilled crenshaw melon. ^^



Courtesy Foodnetwork.com:

Lamb Gyro

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded


• 2 pounds ground lamb


• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic


• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram


• 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary


• 2 teaspoons kosher salt


• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a strong paper or tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice. Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.

There's a couple different ways to cook gyro meat. Over the grill or rotisserie are a couple options, but to cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack, and at this point the recipe instructs you to place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes. We found that another small loaf pan with a stack of books equalling a few pounds works just as well. After the meat has been pressed, slice and serve.


Tzatziki Sauce

• 1 pound (1 pint) plain yogurt (whole milk or low fat)


• 1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and seeded


• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1/2 cup sour cream


• 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar


• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)


• 1 tablespoon good olive oil


• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic


• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh dill


• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. (I didn't actually do this, because I bought Greek-style yogurt that's already pretty thick, but with some types of yogurt you might need to drain it prior to making it into tzatziki.) Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt; place it in another sieve (I have a metal mesh sieve and it works just fine), and set it over another bowl. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucumber can drain.

Transfer the thickened yogurt to a large bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can and add the cucumber to the yogurt. Mix in the sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to allow the tzatziki to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

And voila! All we're missing is some homemade baklava, which I adore...but alas, I am not that talented with the phyllo dough. Yet. I plan to try it sometime.

Comments

[miss-sassy.livejournal.com]

Do you have Imogen Heap's new album? I assume you are a fan, considering she was on The Burning Time's OST.

In case you do not have it yet, take and enjoy -> http://www.sendspace.com/file/pa1okm

It's good stuff!

[misora.livejournal.com]

!!!!! YOU ROCK. ♥ I adore Imogen Heap. Listening to the soundtrack right now!

I have lots of music. Do you have any requests? Fave band? An album you can't seem to find in other places? I'd like to repay the favor! :)

[miss-sassy.livejournal.com]

^_^

No need to repay the favor :) I know I've been searching everywhere on the interwebs for weeks trying to find that album, so when I saw it at Target, I couldn't help myself. Not being able to find it was driving me nuts, and I figured I wasn't the only one looking for it, heh.

Enjoy it! It's good stuff!