Pork Souvlaki with Tzaziki and Shredded Greek Salad

We LOVE Greek and Mediterranean food!!!  I needed to make some at home and wished I would have made this sooner.  So delicious!!!  This takes a little bit of prep, but so worth it!  And I loved having the leftovers for lunch.  If you don't eat pork, you could easily substitute chicken breast.  The kids loved the meat too!  Hope you enjoy this one!

Happy Cooking!
Sarah

Pork Souvlaki with Tzaziki and Shredded Greek Salad
recipe based on these recipes
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/souvlaki-small-skewers-of-pork-recipe/index.html
and
http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Pork-Souvlaki-Double-Cooked-Fries-Michael-Symon

For the tzaziki:
1 1/2 cups of Greek yogurt
1 pickling cucumber, shredded (I prefer these, but a regular cucumber, seeded will suffice)
1 T minced shallots
1 T minced garlic
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of fresh mint, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until serving time.  This can be eaten as a dip for any fresh veggies as well.  It can stay in the fridge for up to a week.

For the shredded salad:
3 cups of red leaf lettuce, shredded
1/3 cup of thinly sliced vidalia onion
3 large tomatoes, diced
2 T red wine vinegar
4 T extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

First, make the dressing by combining the vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, salt and pepper.  Set aside until ready to serve.  Do not mix the dressing with the salad until you are ready to eat.  The dressing can sit on your counter all day or overnight if necessary.

Place the shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and sliced onion in a large bowl. 

When ready to serve, toss the veggies with the dressing and eat immediately.  This is yummy by itself with some cucumber, feta, and olives for a traditional Greek salad.

For the Souvlaki:
1.5 lbs of pork tenderloin or pork loin roast, trimmed of all fat and cut into 1.5 inch cubes
salt to taste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T chopped fresh oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
juice and zest of 2 lemon
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 orange and an additional 1 lemon, each sliced in half for grilling

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl (everything except for the 1 orange and 1 lemon).  Set half of the marinade in a small bowl and set aside to use as a basting oil while grilling.

The marinade

Place the pork in the large bowl with the rest of the marinade and allow the flavors to meld for at least 3 hours up to overnight.  (I did 3 hours and it was fantastic!) 

Before you begin to grill, allow the pork to come to room temperature.  In the meantime, soak the skewers in salted water for 20 minutes.  Skewer 4-5 pieces of pork per skewer (I got 5-6 servings from mine).  Grill over medium high heat for 3 minutes a side, basting as you turn, until cooked through.  While grilling the meat, grill the citrus fruits cut side down.  Once you remove the pork skewers, squeeze the grilled citrus juices over the top and serve.

Top with the shredded salad and tzaziki...pita totally optional, but not necessary.  I also served mine with a lentil, pea, and mint salad (separate post).   Wish I had more to eat right now...so yummy!  Enjoy!!!