Pork Souvlakia with Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Sauce

By mirandavoegeli

Ingredients

• Souvlakia:
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Yogurt Sauce:
• 1 cucumber (about 12 oz.)
• 1 1/2 cups yogurt
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Garnish:
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 4 pita breads, warmed

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make the yogurt sauce:

Trim the ends off the cucumber and peel it. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scrape out and discard the seeds from each half. Finely chop the cucumber and transfer it to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt, mint, oil, and garlic, and season with salt. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. (The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)


Make the souvlakia:

Whisk together the wine, oregano, cumin, salt, thyme, cinnamon, and garlic in a large bowl. Add the cubes of pork and toss well to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

Arrange an oven rack 7-8" from the broiler element and heat broiler. Remove the pork from the marinade (reserve marinade), thread the cubes onto 4 metal or wooden skewers, and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. (If using wooden skewers, make sure to cover the ends completely with the pork cubes, to prevent the skewers from burning.) Season the pork with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Broil the kebabs, generously basting with the marinade occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through, 20-25 minutes. (Alternatively, the kebabs may be cooked over a medium-hot grill for the same amount of time.)

Arrange the skewers on a platter and scatter the scallions and parsley over them. Serve with the yogurt sauce and the pita.