Gyros

Photo: Beverley Ann D'Cruz

Ingredients

1/4 cup water

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons oregano

4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons pepper

3 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground fenugreek

8 individual pita breads

1 large onion, sliced into thin rings

1 large tomato, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup plain yogurt

Preparation

Combine ground lamb, water, onion, parsley, oregano, garlic, pepper, salt, cumin and fenugreek and mix thoroughly. Shape into loaf and wrap tightly in plastic film to compress the mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

To cook in the oven: preheat oven to 350F. Unwrap meat mixture and place on a cookie sheet or shallow baking dish and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, drain excess fat and let stand 15 minutes before carving. Use a very sharp knife and cut in thin slices.

To cook on a rotisserie: push the metal skewer through the center of the meat (lengthwise) and place attachment in oven according to its directions. Cook at 350F, carving the cooked and crispy outside slices as needed.

To cook on the grill: place the meat on a hot grill. Turn and continue to cook until brown on all sides. Slice thin strips from the browned loaf as it cooks, exposing unbrowned surface to be browned as you carve thin slices from the other side. Continue turning the loaf, browning the surface exposed to the fire while you carve from the side facing away from the coals. When the loaf is too small to carve on the grill,

To assemble:Cut the round pita breads in half. Fill each pocket with slices of meat, thin onion rings and tomato. In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, mustard and red wine vinegar and blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil, beating until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Stir the yogurt until creamy and add it to the other mixture. Pour a little of this dressing over the contents of the pita pockets and serve.