Souvlaki Marinade

"Oh bring again my heart's content, Thou Spirit of the Summer-time!" William Allingham

Well, I am longing for summer! Aren't you? Warm summer nights, sounds of music in the air, those wondrous smells of a neighbour's BBQ and of course, all of the fresh produce Ontario has to offer! We're getting there my followers, slowly but surely!
Yesterday I spent the morning inside. Blogging, emailing, a meeting on the phone, researching recipe ideas... The usual. While doing such things I am always listening to music. Recently we became members of 'Live 365 Radio', an online radio broadcast my Dad recommended. Well, we love it! Everyday I change it up and as a result, it changes my mindset and influences different things I do. Sure enough, I wanted the sounds of summer! While flipping through cook books yesterday morning, I found a station that played Greek folk music. Well, of course I just had to pull some pork chops from the freezer, marinate them souvlaki style and set them aside for dinner! After my simple lunch of pears and yogurt with honey, I decided to find a French radio station. Hence, I spent most of the afternoon outside in the garden, drinking coffee and listening to French music from the 20's to the 50's! Tres bien!! While there I could picture Kev and me outside, eating a simple meal by candlelight and sipping a bottle of wine. Hmm, all we would need is a bistro set to sit at... Et Voila! I found one we and bought it last night (pictured above). Perfect! Now all we need are those warm summer nights. It's going to be a lovely summer, I can almost taste it!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Sarah's Souvlaki Marinade
(makes about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar, or lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 fresh ground black pepper

. place all ingredients in a small jar and shake
. pour sufficient amount over your meat or vegetables of preference, marinate for at least an hour
. grill, broil or pan fry your souvlaki, seasoning with salt only when you are cooking, not before. Kali oreksi!

If you don't use all of the marinade, keep it in the fridge for next time. It will keep for a couple of weeks, just pull it out of the fridge about 30 mins before using since the olive oil will solidify. Also, marinating meat in salt will draw out the juices, so I generally salt when cooking.
Okay, well I'm off to Toronto today to test some recipes for Jane Rodmell for Cottage Life magazine! I must say, I love recipe testing! It's a tough challenge, but a challenge that I'm always up for! Have a great weekend and I'll blog about the many culinary adventures I'm sure to get up to, on Monday! Till then, my loyal followers!