Souvlaki, a traditional Greek dish of skewered and grilled meat, is often served in pita as a sandwich. Here, in the Pork Souvlaki Salad with Black Pepper Tzatziki recipe, it’s reimagined as a fresh main course salad. The meat usually used in Greece is pork, although chicken, beef, and lamb may also be used.

If you are not familiar with tzatziki, it is a sauce served with grilled meats or as a dip and is made of yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and possibly some herbs like dill, mint, parsley, thyme etc. It is always served cold. Make sure you do not skip the step of squeezing out the excess liquid once you grate the cucumber.

If you’re so inclined, serve toasted pita alongside to round out the meal. Russ and I loved this simple, quick, healthy dinner salad. Other than adjusting some of the proportions for just the two of us, I pretty much made the recipe as it was published in Fine Cooking.

Ingredients

• 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for the pan
• 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1-1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 20 rounds (about 1/2 inch thick)
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, grated, excess liquid squeezed out
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more as needed
• Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 8 cups mixed baby greens
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions

• Prepare a grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat (about 400°F).
• In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the oil, 2tablespoon of the vinegar, a third of the garlic, and the oregano. Add the pork, toss to coat, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the oil, the remaining garlic, the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
  
  
  
• Thread 5 pieces of pork horizontally onto each of four 12-inch metal skewers or soaked wooden skewers, leaving about 1/2 inch of space between pieces. Season the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  
• Grill, turning the skewers occasionally, until the pork is well marked and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.
  
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the greens, tomatoes, and feta with the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, then with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining 2 tablespoon oil.
  
• Arrange the salad on plates or a serving platter. Lay the pork skewers on top, spoon some of the tzatziki over the pork, and serve with the remaining tzatziki on the side.

By David Bonom from Fine Cooking