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Venison Shawarma with Tzatziki ... a perfect combination

I first made (and posted) this recipe two years ago. At the time, Rick told me I should make it again. Well, I finally did and it was just as good as we both remembered it. I thought it was worth updating this post because I got better pictures of it today. I found the original Beef Shawarma recipe on DeDeMed. Shawarma is Middle Eastern dish similar to gyros (the shaved pork sandwiches from Greece, which I personally have to eat whenever I go to a Greek restaurant). Lamb shawarma is my favorite at Lebanese restaurants, so I thought it would go well with venison. Shawarma is typically served over pita bread with a Tzatziki or tahini sauce. I prefer Tzatziki—I love the tangy yogurt and crisp cucumber. I could eat it by itself (in fact, I just might do that for lunch tomorrow).

Recipe: Venison Shawarma

Tender with the pefect spice blend. I love this dish.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs, finely sliced venison fillet
• 1/2 cup finely sliced onion
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper (not required)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp. Mediterranean spices (called “seven spices” or “five spices”)
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in a 2-inch baking pan and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. Cover pan with aluminum foil and cook for 40 minutes.
4. Remove foil, pour off excess liquid, cook for 10 to 20 more minutes (make sure the meat doesn’t dry out).
5. Serve meat with Tzatziki sauce, rice, and Greek style pita bread or Naan.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Number of servings (yield): 8

Culinary tradition: Middle Eastern

Recipe: Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients

• 8 oz (1 cup) of thick Greek yogurt (a good quality, plain domestic yogurt will work if you can’t find Greek yogurt)
• 2 to 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of diced or grated cucumber
• 1/2 tbs of olive oil
• 1 tsp of lemon juice

Instructions

1. Prepare all ingredients in advance.
2. Combine oil and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Fold the yogurt in slowly, making sure it mixes completely with the oil.
4. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber.
5. Stir until evenly distributed.
6. Garnish with a bit of green and serve well chilled.

Microformatting by hRecipe.

 

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