LAMB SOUVLAKI WITH YOGURT-GARLIC SAUCE

Lamb Souvlaki with Yogurt-Garlic Sauce image

Provided by Jim Botsacos

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

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2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/8 tsp kosher salt
3/4 lb lamb, cut from the leg into 12 equal-sized cubes
2 yellow bell peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch strips
1 red onion, cut into 8 pieces
16 cherry tomatoes
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
4 whole-wheat pitas
Yogurt-Garlic Sauce
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 fresh tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt (such as Total brand)
1 tsp chopped fresh garlic

Steps:

For souvlaki, mix first 5 ingredients to make a marinade and set aside. Distribute lamb, bell peppers, onion and tomatoes among 8 skewers. Place in a large shallow pan with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, rotating skewers once. Heat a gas grill to medium, or use a charcoal grill and allow the coals to turn a light-ash color. Coat grill with cooking spray. Grill until lamb is medium rare and lightly charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Rotate to cook evenly. To cook in oven, broil on metal skewers 6 minutes, rotating until evenly browned. Grill or toast pitas. For sauce, puree cucumbers and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Place in a fine-screen colander and squeeze out the juice. Reserve juice and discard pulp. Whisk cucumber and lemon juices in a bowl with yogurt. Mix in garlic; season with salt and pepper. Serve with pitas and skewers.