Giaourtlou (Γιαουρτλού)

For anyone who's traveled to Greece knows that dining "al fresco" is a neccessity, not a luxury like here in Canada with our short summers. Greece's hot nights force one to eat outside and when my good neighbor, Gregory invited my family for a "spesial" dinner, I knew it would be good and of course, outdoors.

We traveled about 30 minutes from our home by car...all 6 of us in a cramped in a car. However Greeks are resourceful and Gregory's wife, Clio, insisted upon sitting in the very back...how nice!

We arrived in the town of Zografou to be greeted by a very friendly proprietor who welcomed us to his family operated taverna.

We sat down, ordered water, beer, retsina, salads and waited for the owner to spout off the eatery's offerings. I went for the slow-cooked wild boar (which fell off the bone) and my family ordered some biftekia stuffed with cheese. What struck me was what Clio ordered...Giaourtlou.

I had heard of this dish but never before had I tried it. It's a warmed pita bread (acting as the bed), layered with yogurt then a large bifteki (greek burger) and then topped by a tomato sauce. "Ooooooh, this looks good"! I didn't even wait for Clio to offer me a taste of her dish but I did kindly ask and wow....what a cool presentation and the taste combo was different yet very tasty. It was something foreign to me. I know why....it's a dish with Turkish origins.

So today I bring you Giaourtlou...tasted in Greece, originally from Turkey and presented to you by a Canadian. Now that's international cuisine!

Giaourtlou (Γιαουρτλού)
for 4

1 recipe of keftedes

For the Yogurt Sauce
500 ml of strained Greek-style yogurt
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 Tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp of smoked paprika
a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil

For the Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp of butter + 2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, diced
4 very ripe tomatoes puree, from a box grater (skins discarded)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste

1) In a bowl, mix your ingredients needed to make a batch of Keftedes. Form them into hamburger-like shapes and refrigerate until they are ready to be grilled.
2) Start your tomato sauce. Into a saucepan under medium-high heat, add your butter and olive oil and then saute your onions under medium heat for about 10 minutes. Now add your tomato puree, smoked paprika, wine and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Adjust for seasoning and add your chopped parsley. Reserve.
3) In a bowl, mix your yogurt, minced garlic, vinegar, salt, paprika and parsley. Adjust seasoning and refrigerate.
4) Grill your Biftekia (shaped like hamburgers). When you're finished grilling, take your pita bread and brush it with olive and place on grill to just warm the bread on both sides and take away your pita and Biftekia for assembly & plating.

Assembly
1. Place your pita bread on the plate. Sprinkle some dried oregano on the pita.
2. Spoon and spread some yogurt sauce to generously cover the surface of the pita bread.
3. Now top the yogurt with the Bifteki(a) and then top with the tomato sauce. You may garnish the finished dish with sliced red onions and parsley.

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