Gyro sandwich served with sauce.
The gyro (pronounced "yee-ro") sandwich originated in Greece. It was sold by street vendors, who could quickly make the sandwich for passing customers. A traditional gyro sandwich contains meats and vegetables, such as tomatoes, lettuce and sweet onions, served on a form of grilled pita bread. The meats are usually marinated lamb and beef but can be veal, pork or chicken. The gyro is served with a sauce on the side. There are a number of popular sauces.
Tzatziki Sauce
Tzatziki yogurt is a common ingredient in the traditional gyro sauce. Peel and remove the seeds from a whole cucumber and finely chop it. Put it in a bowl and mix it with two finely, minced garlic cloves, juice from half a lemon, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep all yogurt sauces refrigerated until you need them. Some restaurants replace the yogurt with cream cheese.
Garlic and Olive Oil Sauce
In a blender, put four peeled garlic cloves, 1 cup of lemon juice, 2 tsp. of salt, 1 tbsp. of Balsamic vinegar and a pinch of cayenne powder. Blend until you have a smooth mixture, then slowly pour in 3 cups of virgin olive oil. This is a quick, modern way of making a traditional Lebanese sauce.
Ranch Dressing
Some restaurants serve a gyro sandwich with a ranch dressing. Ranch dressing can be made by mixing 2 cups of mayonnaise with a cup of buttermilk. Add 3/4 tsp. each of salt, MSG, onion salt and dried parsley. To this, blend in a 1/4 tsp. of garlic salt and 1/8 tsp. each of dill weed and white pepper.
Sour Cream Sauce
In some cities, especially in Canada, gyro sandwiches are served with sour cream sauce. In a small mixing bowl, blend together 15 oz. of sour cream, 4 oz. of mayonnaise, four finely chopped, green onions, chopped fresh parsley, 1 tsp. each of onion powder, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce, with salt and white pepper to taste.
Tags: served with, garlic cloves, gyro sandwich, pepper taste, served with sauce, Some restaurants