Pork souvlakia is a staple in ‘The Great American Recipe’ contestant Ted Pappas’ home Get more recipes, food news, and stories by signing up for our Deep Dish newsletter. Ted Pappas is a semi-retired architect from the Chicago suburb of Western Springs who has brought his Greek recipes to […]

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Ted Pappas is a semi-retired architect from the Chicago suburb of Western Springs who has brought his Greek recipes to The Great American Recipe, PBS's home cook competition show. For his first dish on the show, he made pork souvlakia, a staple in his house, as he told WTTW Food in an interview, calling it "Greek kebabs."

"Pork souvlakia is small cuts of pork that have been marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and Greek oregano," Pappas explains in the show, and then grilled on a skewer. "Nothing beats my mom's" tzatziki sauce, he says, and it is her legacy that he tries to carry out in the kitchen, to share her style of cooking with his own children, who barely got to know their "Yia Yia" before she passed away.

Try his recipe for both pork souvlakia and tzatziki below.

Pork Souvlakia with Yia Yia's Tzatziki

Ingredients

Pork souvlakia:
3 lb pork loin, cubed into 1-1 1/2” pieces
1 cup Greek olive oil
1 small red onion or shallot, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 5 lemons total)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper

Tzatziki:
1 English cucumber
3 cups full fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Greek olive oil
Salt and pepper

Garnish:
Leaves from 6 springs of fresh thyme
3/4 lb feta cheese
1 lemon, sliced thin
Drizzle of Greek olive oil

Directions

1. For the souvlakia: In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, besides pork, to create marinade, and whisk together until combined. Put pork pieces into zip top bag and completely cover with marinade. Marinade for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

2. Skewer pork with approximately 6 pieces per skewer (if using wooden skewers, soak skewers in water for 30 minutes prior to skewering pork). Preheat outdoor grill or indoor griddletop to medium-high heat.

3. Place skewers on grill/griddle, turning to sear each side. Cook approximately 2 minutes on each side.

4. For the tzatziki: Grate cucumber using large grater into metal strainer lined with cheesecloth. Strain out as much liquid as possible.

5. In large mixing bowl, combine cucumber with other ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Serve immediately. (Extra tzatziki will last 3-4 days covered in the fridge.)

6. To serve: Spoon tzatziki on to plate. Put skewers on top of tzatziki with a garnish of fresh thyme, a cube of feta cheese, a lemon slice, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Ted Pappas talked to us about the experience of being on The Great American Recipe. Read the interview here.