any greek food chefs here?

[TrophyHusband 0]

i'm having some minor troubles here.

first is my lamb. i usually use the alton brown method where i put the loaf on the rotissery on the grill. it would alway fall off about 10-15 minutes in and i would finish it in the oven. it always turned out good, but now i don't have a grill with a rotissery. last night i put it in a loaf pan and cooked it in the oven and the texture came out very meat loafy. can i cook this in the oven some other way and get the texture right?

second problem is the pita. i've found that its impossible to buy good pita. anyone have a good pita recipe?

third is the baklava. i made it for the first time, and it was delicious. the problem is that i needed to cut each bite with a serated knife like a steak in order to eat it. once in my mouth, the baklava would come apart like little flakes of heaven, but i feel like i should be able to cut my bites with the side of my fork. do i have it right or is there something i could do to make it a little more tender, for lack of a better word.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[NWFlyer 2]

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can i cook this in the oven some other way and get the texture right?

I'm not very experienced in cooking Greek but do have fond memories of the cuisine when I lived there as a kid. Anyway, re: the above - I assume you're looking for a gyro texture where you can slice it thin? The times I've done it in the oven, I've had good luck if I really work the lamb when mixing the ground lamb with the spices. Some recipes even call for mixing in the food processor.

Alton Brown has an interesting oven technique that involves finishing the cooking by putting a brick on top for 15-20 minutes (I'm assuming this "compresses" the meat to a better texture). Haven't tried it but it sounds promising.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/gyro-meat-with-tzatziki-sauce-recipe/index.html

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[TrophyHusband 0]

Quote

[ I assume you're looking for a gyro texture where you can slice it thin? The times I've done it in the oven, I've had good luck if I really work the lamb when mixing the ground lamb with the spices. Some recipes even call for mixing in the food processor.

Alton Brown has an interesting oven technique that involves finishing the cooking by putting a brick on top for 15-20 minutes (I'm assuming this "compresses" the meat to a better texture). Haven't tried it but it sounds promising.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/gyro-meat-with-tzatziki-sauce-recipe/index.html

it was the alton brown oven method that i used, but instead of a brick, i used clean loaf pan with cans of chick peas in it. your mention of really working the lamb got me thinking. i just got a new food processor that is bigger than my old one. i processed the entire 2+ pounds of lamb all at once where i used to have to do it in two batches. maybe doing that much meat at once doesn't allow it to get worked properly.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[kmills0705 0]

Quote

i'm having some minor troubles here.

first is my lamb. i usually use the alton brown method where i put the loaf on the rotissery on the grill. it would alway fall off about 10-15 minutes in and i would finish it in the oven. it always turned out good, but now i don't have a grill with a rotissery. last night i put it in a loaf pan and cooked it in the oven and the texture came out very meat loafy. can i cook this in the oven some other way and get the texture right?

second problem is the pita. i've found that its impossible to buy good pita. anyone have a good pita recipe?

third is the baklava. i made it for the first time, and it was delicious. the problem is that i needed to cut each bite with a serated knife like a steak in order to eat it. once in my mouth, the baklava would come apart like little flakes of heaven, but i feel like i should be able to cut my bites with the side of my fork. do i have it right or is there something i could do to make it a little more tender, for lack of a better word.

Can't give you much advice without a little taste testing...

Kim Mills
USPA D21696
Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I