As per the previous post Marthafied took part in the ‘Beat the Head Chef’ Westfield London Recipe Challenge at The Real Greek Westfield London. The first part of the recipe challenge was to go visit The Real Greek at Westfield London and taste their Souvlaki. Then try to re-create that exact dish at home. If you want to find out how my Halloumi and Lamb Souvlaki compared with the ‘originals’ check out our ‘Beat the Head Chef at The Real Greek Westfield Challenge’ post. If you just want to make this mouth-watering Souvlaki at home, read on! Just remember that you can create your own ‘Beat the Head Chef Challenge’ by visiting one of the many dining options at Westfield London. They have fabulous dining offers with their ‘We Are Dining’ campaign lasting until February 28th.
I have to admit that I am not familiar with Greek cuisine at all. Greek Salad is basically as much Greek as I can do. But making these Halloumi and Lamb Souvlaki has been an eye opener. Greek food is so delish!! There are quite a lot of steps in making these Souvlaki. But if you want to make a faster option, you can obviously buy all the fillings ready-made – like the flatbread and tzatziki. That will speed up the process a lot. I considered going that route and luckily did not as these flatbreads I made with a Paul Hollywood recipe were so good and so easy to make, that I am planning to make them again this weekend!
Souvlaki is a wrap (kinda like a kebab) – a flatbread filled with your choice of Halloumi, Lamb, Chicken, Falafel (use your imagination). Then topped with fresh tomatoes, red onion, sweet pepper or other vegetables. Finished with good dollop of tzatziki. Then wrapped and eaten as fast as possible (at least in my case). Souvlaki is the original Greek street food. And it’s über-delicious with a Greek Feta Salad!
Lamb and Halloumi Souvlaki ‘The Real Greek’ Style
Makes: 6-8 souvlakis
Ingredients:
Wraps (Paul Hollywood recipe)
Makes: 6 Flatbreads
Preparation time: 2-2 1/2 hours
250g strong white bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
5g fast-action dried yeast
5g salt
15g caster sugar
20g butter (softened)
160ml cool water
olive oil (for frying / optional)
Tzatziki (modified from Jamie Oliver recipe)
Make while the Wrap dough is rising / Can also be made in advance the previous day
Preparation time: 15 minutes
1/2 large cucumber
200ml fat-free natural yoghurt
1 small garlic clove
1 1/2 tsp dried mint
3 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
3-4 fresh dill
salt
Lamb Filling (modified from The Real Greek at Home recipe)
Make the previous day / Suggested time to marinate: overnight
Preparation time: 20 minutes
500-550g boneless shoulder of lamb
large handful of fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
1 lemon (juice and zest)
150 ml olive oil
150 ml red wine
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Additional Ingredients for the Souvlakis:
250g Cypriot Halloumi (sliced and grilled or barbecued)
3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
2 large handfuls of chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 red onions (thinly sliced)
baking paper (optional, if you want to wrap the souvlaki)
Optional Side: Greek Feta Salad
Preparation time: 10 minutes
All mixed together with a slice of Feta on top and sprinkled with dried oreganoGreek Feta cheese
black olives
sweet pepper (sliced)
cucumber (cubed)
tomatoes (cubed)
dried oregano to taste (sprinkled on top)
splash of olive oil (as dressing)
Directions:
To make the Lamb Marinade:
Trim excess fat from the boneless shoulder of lamb. Cut the lamb into thick strips. In a large bowl (it should fit all the lamb strips) mix the olive oil, red wine, crushed garlic, lemon zest and juice, thyme together with freshly ground black pepper. Add the lamb strips and mix well. Make sure that all the strips are covered with the marinade, then cover tightly with a cling film and place into the refrigerator overnight.
Grill or barbecue the lamb strips the way you like them. I cooked them on a Jamie Oliver Multifunction Indoor Grill.
To make the Flatbreads:
Measure the flour into a large bowl. Add the dried yeast to one side of the bowl; and the sugar and salt to the other side. Mix thoroughly. With your hands mix the softened butter with the flour. Add 140ml cool water and mix well. Continue adding the remaining water in small dozes while mixing the dough with your other hand until the dough is smooth and it easily comes off the sides of the bowl.
Pour a little olive oil onto a clean work surface and knead the dough on it for 5-8 minutes or until it’s elastic and smooth.
Place the dough into a slightly oiled large bowl and cover with a cling film and a towel. Leave to rise for 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface. By repeatedly folding the dough into itself knock out all the air from it. Divide the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. With a rolling-pin roll each dough ball into a very thin circle (20cm diameter).
Heat up a frying pan over high heat and add 1 tsp olive oil. Transfer one dough circle onto the frying pan and cook for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
Repeat with each dough circle with first adding 1 tsp olive oil onto the frying pan.
Pile the cooked flatbreads one by one onto a towel or cloth and wrap it over them to keep them warm.
To make the Tzatziki:
Coarsely grate the washed cucumber onto a sieve which is placed on top of a bowl.
Add a few pinches of salt onto the grated cucumber. With your hands squeeze as much water as possible from the grated cucumber. Pour the water away and transfer the grated cucumber into the empty bowl. Add the fat-free natural yoghurt. Peel the garlic clove and mince. In a small bowl (or in a pestle and mortar) with a back of a spoon smash the minced garlic with a small pinch of salt until it’s paste-like. Add to the cucumber and yoghurt mix. Add dried mint and red wine vinegar. Mix thoroughly. Chop the dill and add to the Tzatziki. Taste and add mint, red wine vinegar or dill to your taste. Set aside.
To make the Halloumi and Lamb Souvlaki:
Grill or barbecue the Halloumi Cheese slices. Set aside. Gather all the following ingredients on a work surface: the grilled lamb strips, the grilled Halloumi slices, Tzatziki, chopped parsley, chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion and the flatbreads.
Place a small amount of either lamb or Halloumi on top of each flatbread.
Top with chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion and Tzatziki.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Wrap the flatbread over the fillings and wrap the Souvlaki in a baking paper (or foil). Cut diagonally in the middle. Serve immediately with a Greek Salad.
Ingredients
- Wraps (Paul Hollywood recipe)
- Makes: 6 Flatbreads
- Preparation time: 2-2 1/2 hours
- 250g strong white bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 5g fast-action dried yeast
- 5g salt
- 15g caster sugar
- 20g butter (softened)
- 160ml cool water
- olive oil (for frying / optional)
- Tzatziki (modified from Jamie Oliver recipe)
- Make while the Wrap dough is rising / Can also be made in advance the previous day
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 200ml fat-free natural yoghurt
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 1/2 tsp dried mint
- 3 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 3-4 fresh dill
- salt
- Lamb Filling (modified from The Real Greek at Home)
- Make the previous day / Suggested time to marinate: overnight
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- 500-550g boneless shoulder of lamb
- large handful of fresh thyme
- 2 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
- 150 ml olive oil
- 150 ml red wine
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Additional Ingredients for the Souvlakis:
- 250g Cypriot Halloumi (sliced and grilled or barbecued)
- 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 large handfuls of chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 red onions (thinly sliced)
- baking paper (optional, if you want to wrap the souvlaki)
- Optional Side: Greek Feta Salad
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- All mixed together with a slice of Feta on top and sprinkled with dried oregano
- Greek Feta cheese
- black olives
- sweet pepper (sliced)
- cucumber (cubed)
- tomatoes (cubed)
- dried oregano to taste (sprinkled on top)
- splash of olive oil (as dressing)
Instructions
- To make the Lamb Marinade: Trim excess fat from the boneless shoulder of lamb. Cut the lamb into thick strips.
- In a large bowl (it should fit all the lamb strips) mix the olive oil, red wine, crushed garlic, lemon zest and juice, thyme together with freshly ground black pepper.
- Add the lamb strips and mix well.
- Make sure that all the strips are covered with the marinade, then cover tightly with a cling film and place into the refrigerator overnight.
- Grill or barbecue the lamb strips the way you like them. I cooked them on a Jamie Oliver Multifunction Indoor Grill.
- To make the Flatbreads: Measure the flour into a large bowl.
- Add the dried yeast to one side of the bowl; and the sugar and salt to the other side.
- Mix thoroughly.
- With your hands mix the softened butter with the flour.
- Add 140ml cool water and mix well.
- Continue adding the remaining water in small dozes while mixing the dough with your other hand until the dough is smooth and it easily comes off the sides of the bowl.
- Pour a little olive oil onto a clean work surface and knead the dough on it for 5-8 minutes or until it’s elastic and smooth.
- Place the dough into a slightly oiled large bowl and cover with a cling film and a towel. Leave to rise for 1 1/2 hours.
- Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface.
- By repeatedly folding the dough into itself knock out all the air from it.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.
- With a rolling pin roll each dough ball into a very thin circle (20cm diameter).
- Heat up a frying pan over high heat and add 1 tsp olive oil.
- Transfer one dough circle onto the frying pan and cook for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
- Repeat with each dough circle with first adding 1 tsp olive oil onto the frying pan.
- Pile the cooked flatbreads one by one onto a towel or cloth and wrap it over them to keep them warm.
- To make the Tzatziki: Coarsely grate the washed cucumber onto a sieve which is placed on top of a bowl.
- Add a few pinches of salt onto the grated cucumber.
- With your hands squeeze as much water as possible from the grated cucumber.
- Pour the water away and transfer the grated cucumber into the empty bowl.
- Add the fat-free natural yoghurt.
- Peel the garlic clove and mince.
- In a small bowl (or in a pestle and mortar) with a back of a spoon smash the minced garlic with a small pinch of salt until it’s paste-like.
- Add to the cucumber and yoghurt mix.
- Add dried mint and red wine vinegar. Mix thoroughly.
- Chop the dill and add to the Tzatziki.
- Taste and add mint, red wine vinegar or dill to your taste.
- Set aside.
- To make the Halloumi and Lamb Souvlaki:
- Grill or barbecue the Halloumi Cheese slices. Set aside.
- Gather all the following ingredients on a work surface: the grilled lamb strips, the grilled Halloumi slices, Tzatziki, chopped parsley, chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion and the flatbreads.
- Place a small amount of either lamb or Halloumi on top of each flatbread.
- Top with chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion and Tzatziki.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- Wrap the flatbread over the fillings and wrap the Souvlaki in a baking paper (or foil).
- Cut diagonally in the middle.
- Serve immediately with a Greek Salad.
This post was brought to you with Westfield London, but all thoughts, reviews and opinions are our own.
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