Going Greek doesn’t necessarily mean that you are attending a large SEC school or even a small college while seeking membership in the perfect sorority or fraternity. Instead, it could be that two lucky events led to having the ingredients for an amazing and easy Greek dinner. The first was a trip to Green Door Gourmet and the purchase of a package of marvelous ground lamb.
The second event is ongoing - a backyard fig tree that has gone crazy!
Even though the rain did not cooperate for grilling last night I still made ground lamb skewers to stuff in toasty pita pockets and a delicious fig tzatziki sauce. I know tzatziki sauce usually features cucumbers, but a cucumber is my husband’s worst nightmare, and he claims that the smell of them can ruin any meal. Usually, I would just ignore such silly behavior, but those figs were calling out and proved to be a good choice.
The griddle part of the stove worked as a grill and this yummy dinner took about 10 minutes to put together. The parsley in the garden has long ago dried out, but thyme and rosemary are still going strong so those were the herbs of choice. Dried oregano would work too. Lamb does well with so many flavors. Chopped onion and garlic made up the rest of the ingredients. Lamb is rich and a pound made enough to freeze half of these little meatloaf shaped kabobs for a quick meal another day.
The tzatziki sauce was a blend of Greek yogurt, figs, minced garlic, mint, and a drop of olive oil. Dried figs or even fig preserves would be good if fresh figs aren’t around. The pitas toasted on the flat top and dinner was served. A Greek salad on the side was a nice touch. (add link)A meal like this is meant to be savored and sure to deliver compliments. This is easy delicious and different. Try this soon. Enjoy!
Greek Shish Kabobs with Fig Tzatziki
Ingredients
1 lb ground lamb
½ onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley – any combination) or 1 Tbsp dried
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Pita bread
Directions
Mix together to combine and form into football shaped patties.
Thread on skewers and flatten a bit.
Grill or griddle about 4-5 minutes per side until lightly browned
Add bread to toast for a minute if desired.
Fig Tzatziki Sauce
Combine:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped figs or fig preserves to taste
1 clove garlic minced
1 Tbsp mint chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle of olive oil for serving
