Here's Emeril's recipe for this wonderful meal:
- 2 pounds lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch strips
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup grated onion
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced (I chop the **** out of mine, not "thinly slice")
- 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows (I don't use this)
Pita bread rounds
Trim excess fat off the lamb and cut into small chunks (I know the recipe says "1-inch strips" but that's kind of large, I'd say half-inch cubes is a better target). Mix all the ingredients above, except the pita bread, of course, and pour over the meat. You want this to marinade at least a couple of hours, I almost always let it do so overnight. Grill your meat and all is good!
For the pitas, brush each side with a little olive oil and lightly sprinkle with paprika and salt. Throw 'em on the grill for a few seconds each side and use immidiately.
Tzatziki sauce:
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, sliced in half and seeded, and finely chopped (We almost never peel the skin off, but do try to remember to remove the seeds)
- 1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill or oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows (Again, we never use Essence and if I were to use this kind of spice, I'd use Tony Chachere's)
For the tzatziki sauce, we use the recipe as a guide. I'd say almost all the ingredient sizes above are "to taste." We don't use plain yogurt. Instead we use sour cream. It's much cheaper and tastes every bit as good.
So, grate your cucumbers and put them into a colander over a bowl, sprinkle a bit of salt on them and let them drain. Once drained, mix all ingredients and allow to refrigerate overnight for everything to blend.
Enjoy!
