For company
Souvlaki — Greek meatball perfection!
My minced-meat take on Jamie Oliver’s souvlaki from Food Escapes: oregano-and-mint kebabs, smoky sweet peppers and cool cucumber tzatziki, all piled onto warm, golden lángos. A Greek feast on a wooden serving board. Opa!!!!!
Jamie Oliver is one of my absolute favourite chefs — the best Mediterranean food captured in Food Escapes. The recipe calls for pork, but I prefer beef mince, or a combination of the two. Oregano is one of my absolute favourite herbs! I make lángos as the flatbread accompaniment because, since having made lángos earlier this year, it is really all that I make! Life doesn’t get much better!
Method
- 01
If using wooden skewers, cut 8 to fit your braai grill and soak them in a tray of water to stop them from burning.
- 02
Put all of your kebab ingredients into a bowl and use your clean hands to mix everything together really well. Cover and pop into the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or a little longer for more intense flavours. Food-safety note: keep raw mince refrigerated at 4°C or below and cook or freeze within 1–2 days of purchase, following any earlier use-by date. For preparation several days ahead, freeze promptly rather than keeping it in the fridge; thaw in the fridge before cooking.
- 03
Meanwhile, blacken the peppers directly over the gas flame, in a hot dry grill pan or under a hot broiler. Turn them every so often and, when they look almost ruined, pop them into a bowl, cover and put to one side to steam for 5 minutes or so — this will help the skins come off.
- 04
Make your tzatziki by coarsely grating the cucumber into a sieve set over a bowl. Add a few good pinches of salt, then use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can. Pour the water away, then tip the cucumber into an empty bowl and add the yoghurt.
- 05
Pound the garlic in a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of sea salt until you have a paste and spoon that into the bowl with the cucumber. Add the dried mint and red wine vinegar and mix really well. Have a taste to make sure you’ve got the balance right, then refrigerate until serving.
- 06
Preheat a grill pan or grill over high heat. Because this version uses mince, shape the chilled mixture into small, firm oval meatballs and thread them onto the soaked skewers, leaving little spaces between them so the heat cooks evenly.
- 07
Cook the kebabs on a screaming hot pan or grill for about 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally until done on all sides. With beef or pork mince, use a food thermometer to check the centre reaches at least 71°C (160°F); cook longer if needed rather than relying on time or colour alone.
- 08
If making lángos, fry the beautiful bread and ensure that it is warm when served.
- 09
Just before your kebabs are ready, peel and deseed your blackened peppers, then tear them into strips and put them into a bowl. Roll up your mint leaves, finely slice them and add to the bowl along with the dill. Add a few splashes of red wine vinegar, a pinch or two of salt and pepper and a lug of olive oil. Toss and mix together, then have a taste to check the balance of flavours.
- 10
Cut your lemon into wedges. Put a dollop of tzatziki and the meat from one skewer on each warmed flatbread. Top with some of your pepper mixture, a drizzle of olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Life doesn’t get much better! Opa!!!!!
Keep cooking
