Something Greece(y)

Work can take you many places, and for most of my work life I was stationed on the coastlines. About 3 years ago, we decided to take the plunge and move away from a small town to the Big City.  We lived in a very closed knit community , where everyone used to know everyone and running into each other was a regular thing.  In the concrete jungle, one can get lost in amazement very very easy, so loosing the personal touch was inevitable.

Everyday I'll make my commute to the big city, giant buildings, people walking everywhere, everyone always so busy and on their way to somewhere.  I was lost and afraid. Did I really fit in here?  I knew how to get from the train station to my work and back.  I would see hundreds of people on a daily basis, and hardly know their names or anything about them for that matter.  By nature, I am a very curious person, and I had to conquer my fears, and get to know this city I found myself in. Cape Town Business District is diffidently not New York City, but for a small town "boy", it might as well have been.

Naturally I would find all the different restaurants, coffee shops and street food vendors in Cape Town.  I was exploring my surroundings , and building a mental map of everything around me.  One faithful Thursday I decided to wonder in a different direction as my usual route, and as it would be, I stumbled upon the Earth Fair Food Market in St Georges mall (St Georges Mall is an outside open air market, situated between two huge buildings in the middle of Cape Town CBD).  Every Thursday is my "treat" day and the Earth Fair Food Market was my temporal escape.  There I found a variety of food, anything to tickle your taste buds.  I could choose from delicious burgers, Chinese rice wonders,  Greek godly creations to artisan coffees and fruit & vegetables, the possibilities were endless.

As a child, I have always had a fascination with everything Greek; Greek Mythology; Greek Food; the people and the islands;  the art and the history; buildings and statues.  I got the chance to experience Something Greece(y), the Souvlaki for the first time.  A combination of skewered meat, vegetables, pita bread and a delectable tzatziki sauce to complete this Greek experience.  I discovered that Souvlaki is a diminutive of the Medieval Greek word Souvla, meaning little/ tiny skewer.  In our country, we reference the skewer as "Soesaties",  we take whatever piece of meat and combine it with vegetables and on an open fire, we then "braai" it (braai meaning barbecue). 

Traditionally souvlaki is made using pork, but chicken; fish and other meats became acceptable. Soon before long, I would make regular trips to the Thursday Food Market and get my weekly fix. I decided to make my own Souvlaki, and realized this delectably scrumptious dish was easy and quick to make,  soon becoming a huge hit with friends and family alike.  I sometimes think back to my "adventures" into the big city, and not for one second regret the decision we took. We have since never looked back.

EPSILON

Chicken Souvlaki (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients 

4 pieces of Chicken fillets
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tbs Lemon juice
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Filling

1 red Onion, cut into chunky pieces
6-8 ready Pita breads
2 sliced Tomatoes
1 sliced red Onion

Method

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together to form a marinade.
Cut the chicken into 2cm cubes.
Add the chicken into the marinade, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Soak 8-10 wooden skewers in a bowl of water.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and thread one pieces of chicken, followed a pieces of onion.
The Souvlaki can be prepared on an outside grill, or in the kitchen on a griddle pan, lightly oiled.
Grill until browned on all sides, and the chicken is not pink on the inside (usually about 8 minutes).
Brush the pita bread with olive oil, and lightly grill on both sides.

Tzatziki Sauce 

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 English Cucumber, seeded, finely grated 

2 cloves Garlic, finely minced.
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tbs fresh Lemon juice
2 tbs chopped fresh Dill
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

While chicken is in the fridge to marinade, make the Tzatziki sauce.

In a bowl, whisk the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and dill.
(Squeeze the juice of the cucumber out to yield a less watery sauce)
Season with salt and pepper.
Store in the fridge until just before dishing up.

Place the Souvlaki (chicken skewers) in between a pita bread.  Add the sliced red onions and tomatoes on top of the chicken, and top it off with the tzatziki sauce.

Ready to enjoy.

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