Steak Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce

My favorite meal (among a slue of delicious choices) over my recent trip to Europe was a pork gyro in Corfu, Greece. Everything about it was perfection - no joke. I will never forget that gyro.

Interesting sidenote: the Grecians put potato wedges/fries right into the gyros. Genius.

I don't know that my version was quite as good as my Corfu experience, but it was pretty tasty (and probably MUCH healthier). Not too hard, either, especially if you have pre-cooked meat.

I found these pitas at Dan's one day and they looked so soft and inviting I had to buy a package. Talk about impulse shopping - there are times I can resist a pair of cute shoes, but rarely can I resist big, soft pitas (and don't get me started on naan). 

I also cheated and used some Tyson steak strips rather than marinating and cooking my own. Traditionally gyros are made with a slow-cooked lamb, but I'm not a fan, so I went with beef (and interestingly enough, I didn't once see a lamb gyro on a Greek menu - pork seemed to be pretty popular). 

Steak Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce

2 whole-wheat pitas

6 oz cooked steak strips

1/2 small onion, sliced

1 large tomato, sliced

1/2 cup Tzatziki sauce (recipe below)

Heat your oven to about 200 degrees. Place pita bread inside to get warm and slightly toasted while you prep everything else. (you could skip this and just microwave it for a bit). Place meat in a skillet over medium heat until heated through. Remove pita from oven and fill with steak strips, desired amount of onion and tomato slices, and 1/4 cup of Tzatziki. Enjoy!

Makes 2 gyros.

Tzatziki Sauce

modified from here

6 oz fat free Greek yogurt

2/3 cup grated and drained cucumber

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp dried parsley

Salt and pepper

Strain the yogurt using a metal strainer or cheesecloth for a few hours to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside.

Scoop seeds out of the cucumber with a small spoon. Place cucumber in a mini food processor or grate with a box cheese grater. Drain the liquid from the cucumber in a metal strainer and sprinkle with a little salt (this helps release the liquid). You may want to use the back of a spoon to help squeeze out any excess liquid.

Combine strained cucumber, garlic, yogurt, salt, pepper, lemon juice, dill, parsley and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Makes about 1 cup, or 4 servings. Store in refrigerator for about a week.