The Greek souvlaki we all love in an easy-to-make recipe at home

Just because you can’t host your loved ones for intimate gatherings right now doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to treat yourself. We know that there is no other favorite than the typical Greek souvlaki. So, till you will be able to taste this mouthwatering snack at our Poolside Bar follow our Executive Chef, Vasilis Katsikas, to a healthier twist of the classic recipe and enjoy it at home.

Pita flatbread with chicken gyros, avocado tzatziki sauce, cherry tomatoes, onion chutney and french fries.

METHOD

For the Chicken Gyros:
Chicken drumsticks (150gr), deboned and skinless, marinated in mustard, lemon, thyme, rosemary and salt. Grill on the grill plate and cut into bite sized pieces.

For the Avocado Tzatziki Sauce:
Blend 2 avocados, 30ml lime, 25gr glucose and ice. Add finely chopped cucumber, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, chives, and olive oil.

For the Grilled Cherry Tomatoes:
Score the tomatoes and plunge them into boiling water for a few seconds, then plunge them straight into ice cold water. Alternatively, burn them with a blowtorch until the skin blisters and pops. Peel the rest of the skin away by hand, marinate the cherry tomatoes in olive oil, oregano, salt, and garlic. Grill or fry for a couple of minutes until slightly charred on both sides.

For the Onion Chutney:
Finely chop the onions and sauté them in olive oil and cow butter until golden, soft and sticky. Add salt, thyme, sugar, balsamic vinegar, and tabasco sauce. Simmer until the liquid is reduced and the mixture has a jam-like dark and thick texture. Add some parsley.

For the French Fries:
Use a potato the size of your fist without peeling it. Wash it well and cut it into four pieces lengthwise. Deep-fry them in 100 oC and leave them until soften. Briefly leave to drain on absorbent paper (carefully so as not to break). Raise the oil temperature to 220 oC and cook again until golden brown and crispy.

Mini pita flatbread
Brush well the pita flatbreads with olive oil and grill them on the grill plate.

ASSEMBLING THE WRAP

Spread some of the avocado tzatziki sauce onto the warm pita bread, add the onion chutney, the cherry tomatoes, the chicken, and the French fries. Fold the pita by pressing more tightly at the bottom to give a slight cone shape and wrap in parchment paper.

If you are taking this Greek experience seriously, accompany your Souvlaki with a Alpha Estate Rose, Xinomavro wine paired by our Maitre d’Hotel, Giorgos Tsinogiorgos. It has a bright rose color, with salmon color hints, a fruity nose with rich expression of rose petals and strawberries. Well balanced mouth, fat but balanced, reminding the nose aromas, with long aftertaste.
It is also well-paired with local cuisine, roasted red peppers, stuffed tomatoes and peppers, light grilled meats.

Grape: Xinomavro
Alcohol: 13%
Serving temperature: 46-50 °F 8-10 °C
Aging potential: 1-3 years

Enjoy!

Our Executive Chef guides you to “A la Polita” recipe, a favorite Greek course of Alios Ilios Restaurant

“A la polita”, an aromatic Greek recipe initially made only with artichokes is a classic example of Greek cooking which, due to the custom of extended periods of fasting during the year, are by tradition, both vegan and extremely healthy, while still bearing all the rich exuberant flavours of the Greek countryside. Our Executive Chef, Vassilis Katsikas, ads a twist combining it with sea bream or any other whitefish of your choice, while our Maitre d’Hotel, Giorgos Tsionogiorgos, suggests you the right wine to accompany your dinner.

Bon Appetit!

A LA POLITA RECIPE

Sea bream:

Scale and gut the fish carefully. Cut two fillets out of the fish and de-bone them with a large set of tweezers. Preheat the grill plate or the frying pan and add a dash of sunflower oil. When it is going to get really hot, add the bream fillets skin side down. During cooking, check the fish to see it gradually lose its translucency and become nearly opaque, until the flesh gets opaque two-thirds of the way up. Turn the fillets and cook on the other side for 1 minute.

“A la polita”:

Ingredients:

• 30gr chopped onion
• 30gr carrots cut in large dice (each side being 1cm)
• 30gr diced potato (each side being 1cm)
• and 30gr precooked peas.

In a pan sauté the onions, the carrots, the diced potatoes, and the peas. Add a vegetable bouillon little by little, until the vegetables are cooked through and most of the water has reduced. Make sure the vegetables are tender without being too soft and add lemon and chopped dill.

Artichoke purée:

Remove all the outer leaves and the choke (furry core) near the base of 3 artichokes. Sauté the artichoke hearts with a little chopped onion and one clove of garlic. Pour in 30ml white wine and let it reduce. Add a vegetable bouillon and cook until the artichokes become tender. Finely chop the dill and add it to the pot. Strain and blend in a thermo mix or mixer, adding cow butter and a dash of olive oil until blitzing into a delicious, smooth purée.

For the Ouzo foam:

Ingredients:

• 50gr water
• 50gr milk
• 4gr sugar
• 20gr ouzo
•  2gr lecithin powder

Method:
In a saucepan heat the water, the milk and the sugar. Add all the other ingredients and blend with a beamer. Bring the beamer close to the surface of the mixture to create foam.

WINE PAIRING:

Enjoy it with, Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita Alto Adige DOC. Straw yellow color, dry, with intense aromas and appealing flavors of Golden Delicious apples and citrus with a long, multi-layered finish. Excellent as an aperitif and with a medium body that makes it versatile to pair with everything, from salads to chicken or grilled fish to vegetables.

Grapes: Pinot Grigio Alcohol: 12%

Serving temperature: 50-54 °F   10-12 °C

Aging potential: 1-2 years, meant to be enjoyed fresh