Want all the messy, indulgent goodness of a take-away gyro without the guilt?
Want to impress your friends with the softest, fluffiest flatbread this side of the galaxy?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is possibly that recipe (I haven't eaten all the home made gyros on earth. I can't claim the title without appropriate research.)

This one is a teeensy bit labour intensive, but the techniques are super easy. It's a great way to get acquainted with the bits and bobs in your kitchen if, until now, you've been treating everything but the fridge and take-away menu as a no-man's land.

I'm also revisiting the world's most versatile dough. One batch is enough to serve a party of 4 a filling meal of gyros, with enough to spare for a couple of doughnuts or cream buns for dessert.

Fun fact, gyro, shawarma and doner are all basically the same thing: The name means ' to turn' and refers to the fact that the meat is generally pierced through a large steel skewer and slowly cooked while rotating.

I don't imagine many folks have large meat rotisseries at their disposal, so mine is cooked in a pan or on the BBQ.

My goal this year is to do more than just posting recipes. I want to encourage more people to embrace the scariest room in the house and get cooking.
So, If you're trying this recipe and get stuck at any point, feel free to message me and I'll do what no other blogger possibly in the world (again, I don't know all the bloggers so maybe I've stolen this idea) has done, I'll skype or text you and walk you through the process, step by step. Now you have nothing to be afraid of!

Here's how to do it:

(The method for the pork stays the same, this is a great opportunity to get creative with your spices!)

Ingredients

Pork Gyro:

*400 grams Pork Loin, semi-frozen

20 ml Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Garlic Flakes or Powder
2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Cayenne pepper (reduce if not too fond of heat)
1 Tbsp Chili flakes (omit if not too fond of heat)
2 Tbsp dried Oregano/Oreganum
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
50 ml Red Wine Vinegar
50 ml Worcestershire or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
50 ml Tomato Paste
Good Pinch of Salt

Method:

Thinly slice pork loin to about 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch pieces (having it semi-frozen helps this process!)
Place in shallow bowl or ziplock bag and mix in all marinade ingredients, ensuring meat is thoroughly covered.
Cover and marinade for at least 30 minutes, but best overnight.)
Divide and thread onto 8 skewers
Heat a little oil in a Cast Iron Pan or place on hot Bbq and cook for 6-8 minutes, rotating constantly until brown and cooked all the way through (pull aside a section around the middle of the skewer and press with your finger, it should feel like the tip of your nose, any softer and it's still rare)
Cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Flatbread

Ingredients:

One batch of the most versatile dough in the world RECIPE HERE
Extra flour for dusting
Oil for frying

Method

After you've made your dough, allow it to proof for 30 minutes before flouring hands and dividing into 8 portions (or 4, and use the rest to make doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar!)
Cover pieces with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 5 minutes (it just helps the gluten in the dough relax, so it's much easier to roll out that way!)
Dust your work surface with a little flour and roll them out into 1cm or 1/2 inch thickness (you can use a side plate to get them perfectly round, but I like them free-form)
Drizzle a tiny bit of oil in a heavy-based pan and wipe with a brush or a little kitchen paper (we want just enough to grease the pan so the flatbreads don't stick)
Heat until smoking and place in flatbread (one at a time) it should bubble up in about a minute. Flip and cook the other side. You want lovely black and brown spots all over, but not burnt to a crisp. They take only about 2 minutes to cook in total, any less and your pan is too hot, any longer and your pan is too cold and will result in a crunchy flatbread instead of a soft, fluffy one.)
Stack cooked breads and cover with a clean tea towel to keep them warm until serving. (They can be reheated in a low oven for 5 minutes before serving)

Yoghurt Sauce

1/2 Cup full-fat Greek yoghurt (it makes a world of difference to the flavour, but you can use fat-free, I suppose.)
1 Tbsp Cumin, toasted lightly
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Good pinch of salt

(You can use home made or store bought tsatziki too, it's the traditional way and just as delicious!)

Fix'ns

Shredded lettuce
Tangy Pickles sliced thinly
Tomato slices
Finely sliced raw onion
Cheese of choice (I used a little feta)

###Method
Drizzle warm flatbread with a little of the sauce, layer fix'ns and lay gyro skewer in the middle. Fold in half and secure with foil or wax paper and string before pulling out the skewer stick (it helps ensure even distribution of meaty goodness)

Serve on cheap plates and smash them to smithereens to a lively rendition of Zorba the Greek

For more recipes and ramblings, check out the rest of my blog:

Or ogle at pictures. That's the best bit about foodblogs anyway!

Official Viral.Crowd Instagram
Here's my personal Instagram.for progress on my photography and behind-the-scenes stuff in the kitchen

Pork Gyro, from SCRATCH!