Gyros As Close As You Can Get Without The Spit Food

GYROS (AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET WITHOUT THE SPIT!)

Steps:

• Combine wine, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Cut steak across the grain into slices as thin as possible.
• I use the Chinese trick of putting the meat in the freezer and partially freeze so that it will slice easier.
• Pour wine marinade over meat strips, refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour.
• Drain strips.
• Add butter or margarine to saute' pan.
• Add meat, in two batches, and saute' until brown on both sides.
• Remove to serving platter and keep warm.
• Wrap pitas in damp paper towels and microwave until very warm.
• Open one end of each pita to make pocket.
• Set out lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and yogurt.
• Let each person make his own.
• Tips: If you are lucky enough to have a Middle Eastern food store around,ask them for Lebne (pronounced"leeb nee") and use in place of the drained yogurt.
• It is much richer and creamier.
• Or make your own Tzatziki (cucumber, garlic, yogurt dip).

GYROS - AN AUTHENTIC RECIPE FOR MAKING THEM AT HOME

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.
• Knead the mixture on the counter for 10 minutes - just like you're kneading bread. You may want to use a dough-scraper to help keep the counter clean. (I do). Pick that meat up and SLAM it into the counter, continuing to do so for the 10 minutes. This is key to getting the correct texture. I'm no Alton Brown, but I think the thing we're doing here is melting the fat so that we get a nice smooth texture in the end.
• Form into a flat loaf - I like to put the meat onto a piece of wax paper, and flattening it into a 3" high slab rectangle. I cover it with another piece of wax and use a rolling pin to flatten it out, just make sure you straighten out the edges to form a rectangle so that when it comes time to slice, they are nice and even.
• Bake the loaf on a broiler pan (or pan with raised edges, because it will leak grease!) at 350 for about an hour. Alternatively, you can grill it over coals, that's my favorite way, just be sure to turn often so as to distribute the juices.
• Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing thin.

AMERICAN GYROS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish. Line with parchment paper that extends up the sides. Turn the parchment paper over so the oiled side is up.
• Place ground lamb and beef in a mixing bowl. Add onions, garlic, rosemary, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and bread crumbs. Mix until well combined. Transfer to prepared baking dish and press the meat mixture firmly into the dish in an even layer that extends to the edges. Meat mixture should be packed and fairly dense.
• Bake in preheated oven until nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
• Transfer meat to a cutting board. Cut into 3 pieces crosswise. Slice each piece into 1/8-inch thick slices as you need them.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook slices until browned, about 2 minutes per side.