"You're my Gyro!"

Haha...damn I'm funny. A Greek Gyro (pronounced YHEE-ro for those of you who didn't get the joke) is a wonderful thing - it's looks like a chunky, weird-ass taco but it will make your tastebuds say "Whut UP, Dimitri?!" My friend, Fabulous Todd (yes, he IS) thought the falafel recipe I posted looked good, and asked if I had a recipe for a good gyro. After I thought about it, I realized I don't really have a recipe, I just wing it - if you have to do it by the book, this may be of no help, but I suggest you pull the stick out a bit and give this a try. It's fashioned after some of my favorite dishes from the now defunct Greek Cuisina in downtown Portland, and yes I know they were greasy as hell (I mean the food...maybe) but doing it yourself puts you in the drivers seat...so if you go into an uncontrolled grease spin and end up having to be towed out of your chair, it's your own fault. This is by no means an authentic anything - it's what I like and I make no apologies....its' rude to talk with your mouth full.

Gyros

Pita wraps ( they're pitas that do not split open...you use them like a tortilla)
Gyro meat (I get it at Winco in the deli where they put all the prepared food- looks sorta like compressed slices of dog food, but are delicious...ARF)
Tzatziki (see recipe on last post)
2 cucumbers, peeled, quartered and sliced
2 or 3 tomatoes, quartered and sliced
Feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
Thinly shredded romaine (optional - I like cukes instead)

Place separated gyro meat slices in skillet, on griddle, in microwave or even in 325 degree oven until warmed through (they are fully cooked); warm pitas the same way, but in a clean pan or dish. Put meat on center of pita, fill with cukes, tomatoes, lettuce and feta as desired, and drizzle w/tzatziki. Fold like a taco and eat over a plate unless you like garlicky grease stains on your favorite letterman jacket, Todd.

That being said, this is my own version of a Greek sammich:

Chicken Oregano Gyro

About 12 chicken tenders, fresh or thawed
2 T. lemon juice (or the juice from one lemon)
2 T. olive oil
1 t. dried oregano
Dash of garlic powder
Pinch of kosher salt

Throw all ingredients in a gallon ziploc, squeeze out the air and roll around until it's all distributed. Let marinate, oh let's say 1 hour or so, or maybe 10 minutes because you always forget and wait until the last minute. Cook on grill until juices run clear when you poke it with a fork. (Or in a skillet or under the broiler...whatev) Cut em in half the long way if they're really big, or go whole hog - it's up to you. To assemble, same as the Gyros:

Pita wraps, warmed
Cucumber as above
Tomatoes as above
Lettuce as above (if desired)
Feta Dip

Make them just like the gyros, just use the chicken and feta dip in place of the gyro meat and tzatziki. So you say "Feta Dip?" This is totally made up outta my head - I used the menu description and my memory to come up with this, and I would bottle it and make a zillion bucks if I didn't think a life of luxury would end badly for me....

Feta Dip

1 cup Best Foods Mayo (don't screw with perfection)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp. each cider or seasoned rice vinegar AND lemon juice
2-4 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, adjust all to your taste as needed. Spread on one half of one side of each pita wrap, then add chicken and veggies. If you heat up a stack of pita's, then cut them into 6 or 8 wedges (do the whole stack at once), you can serve them with this dip - shoot, if people tasted it you could cut triangles out of cardboard and they'd scrape the bowl clean with em. Enjoy, and try not to imagine Meryl Streep making out with old dudes and singing Abba tunes - gagging is a buzz kill at dinner.