Greek on Bruce loves to cook

Gyro base

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Gyro beef or lamb is a great base for salads, pitas, sandwiches, and other preparations.

Mechanic

This is the gyro spice-and-meat base, sized to 1 kg of ground meat so it scales cleanly for freezing or batch cooking. The technique is sausage-making applied without a grinder: mixing with cold water and a bread crumb panade until sticky emulsifies the proteins, giving a snap and shape-holding bite whether you form it into dogs, patties, or kebabs. MSG rounds out the umami without adding more salt to the mix. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.

Gyro dogs

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This recipe was inspired by a Chef John video. It inspired me to make the gyro mix as a base, which I freeze in large flat zip-top bags.

Mechanic

This is sausage-making technique applied to a gyro spice blend; see the [[Gyro base]] Mechanic for how the cold water and panade emulsify the meat. That emulsion is what gives the dogs their snap and lets them hold a hot-dog shape on the grill instead of falling apart like a loose burger. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.

Greek Islands' creamy Greek dressing

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Our version of the house dressing at Greek Islands, the one on every side salad. Shaken, it’s a bright, garlicky vinaigrette. Whisked into an egg yolk, it turns creamy like the restaurant’s.

Greek lemon and herb marinade

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This marinade is great for rice, tofu, chicken, shrimp, and fish. It’s a bright, herbal blend that balances acid, salt, and sweet. In a pinch it works as a finishing sauce drizzled over the plate, and on salads (where it’s even better blended).

Sheet-pan fast-food-style gyros

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve seen gyros done many ways, including whole cuts marinated and spit-roasted, minced, and cased + mince. This recipe is closer to a food cart style gyro, based on a mix of minced meats and some filler to achieve a classic fast food texture.

Lemon chicken marinade

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Lemon chicken is great on salad, in wraps, or in rice bowls.

Mechanic

A weight-based Mediterranean marinade built on a 1.6:1 ratio of fat to acid (80 g oil : 50 g lemon juice). Lemon zest does more flavour work than the juice alone; don’t skip it. MSG rounds out the savouriness, so you can use less salt.

Greek marinade

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I developed this when trying to replicate a local Greek restaurant’s roast chicken and potatoes. It’s good enough for a weeknight meal.

Mechanic

Built on a roughly 1:1 olive oil to lemon juice base, with red wine vinegar added for a sharper secondary acid. It needs more lemon than 1:1 suggests; start there and taste up.