When I studied abroad in Spain and got to travel through Europe for a semester, everywhere I went there was a Doner Kebab on every corner. They served cheap gyros and fries and had a continuously rotating cylinder of hot meat. It was a great place to stop by on a chilly day in Paris or a misty day in Amsterdam to refuel.
The rotating, glistening, slightly questionable tower of meat though? Not the most appetizing. So, I set out to create a vegetarian gyro, with all of the flavors and none of the questions.
Ingredients:
For the tofu:
- 2 (15 ounces) blocks of tofu
- 1 tablespoon dill
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
For the tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or heavy cream. Yogurt will be healthier and have more protein, but heavy cream is delicious.
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled, deseeded, and finely diced.
- 3 tablespoons dill, or 6 fresh
For the Pickled Red Onions:
- 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin.
- 1/4 cup vinegar (I used rice vinegar because that is what I had, but you could use rice, distilled, or apple cider)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
To serve:
- Pita bread
Method:
- Drain the tofu. Take the tofu out of the package, and press it between two plates or baking sheets. Press for 20-30 minutes.
- Pickle the onions. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and set aside.
- Slice the tofu. Slice the tofu into thin slices, about 1 cm. Mix the rest of the ingredients for the tofu as a marinade, and marinate for as long as possible, or about an hour. We all know tofu is pretty bland, but this is how you fix that.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, and grease a baking sheet. Arrange the tofu in a single layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Make the tzatziki sauce. While the tofu is baking, combine all of the tzatziki sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
- Serve. To finish, arrange the tofu on a piece of pita bread. Then, top with the tzatziki sauce and onions.
