Ted's Coney Island- Ingersoll Avenue

Quite often when Jeffrey and I get off work, we go to one of Des Moines' Dahl's Grocery stores to pick up things our local market doesn't carry (one of tonight's items- baby bok choy).  Those nights, we like to eat a quick dinner in town.  Ted's Coney Island is inexpensive, tastes great, and is just down the street from a Dahl's.  Ted's serves up Greek-American food which is so good we don't usually bother to make the trip into Des Moines for the annual Greek Food Fair (which is coming up the first weekend of June).

For less than $3 you can get a Coney, otherwise known as a chili dog.  The chili is thin but not watery, the meat is ground ultra-fine, and it just tastes really delicious! 

Jeffrey and I both like the much bigger Gyro sandwiches, too;  we like to add the optional feta cheese.  That sandwich is just $5.50 with the feta.  I also love the onion rings- in my opinion much tastier than the french fries.

Ted's has several locations; we like the one located at 3020 Ingersoll.  Here's another review you may find helpful if you visit Ted's Coney Island West in Urbandale.  Staff are always very friendly and helpful, there's never a long wait, and the food is both inexpensive and really flavorful.  Definitely trough-worthy! 5 Stars.

Chicken Gyros

While shopping last weekend, some pita bread caught my eye.   I picked up a package on a whim, thinking I'd make a batch of our Gyro Patty Sandwiches, but when it came time to actually plan out the meal, I decided I wanted to do something different.  After considering various options, I decided to make some Chicken Gyros.

Once I knew what I wanted to make, coming up with a recipe was easy.  I knew I'd want to marinate the chicken in Greek seasoning, broil it and serve it on the pitas with tomato, lettuce and a flavorful tzatziki sauce.  I came up with a preliminary recipe, then checked a few references to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything crucial.  It turns out I wasn't, and I quickly discovered that what I'd come up with was a lot like the better recipes I found online and among my cookbooks and cooking magazines, and looked better than most of the ones I found.  So, with that in mind, I made up a batch last night.

They turned out great.  The chicken is flavorful, thanks to a zesty marinade, and the broiling resulted in the chicken being a bit browned on the outside but still tender and moist on the inside.   The tzatziki is similar to versions I've made in the past, but the small differences - most notably the inclusion of a bit of vinegar - made it better than any of those other versions.   I'll be using that sauce in other dishes, and the recipe as a whole is a definite keeper.

Chicken Gyros

yield = 5-6 servings

chicken
2              tablespoons olive oil
2              tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2              tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2              teaspoons red wine vinegar
3              large cloves garlic, minced
1              teaspoon dried oregano
3/4           teaspoon kosher salt
1/2           teaspoon ground coriander
1/2           teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2           teaspoon mustard powder
1/4           teaspoon ground cumin
2              pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
                sliced into thin strips

tzatziki sauce
1              cup Greek yogurt
1/2           medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1              tablespoon lemon juice
1              teaspoon rice vinegar
1              teaspoon dried dill
1/2           teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4           teaspoon table salt

gyros
8              ounces feta cheese, chopped
1              bunch lettuce, chopped
1              can diced tomatoes, drained (or 2
                ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped)
5-6          pita bread rounds, warmed

Add the olive oil, 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, two tablespoons lemon juice, the red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, kosher salt, coriander, mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and the cumin to a zipper-lock bag.  Shake to mix, then add the chicken strips.  Seal the bag, shake to thoroughly coat the chicken and refrigerate 1/2 hour.

Place an oven rack at the second lowest setting and heat the oven to broil.  Prepare a broiling pan by lining the inside with foil and spraying the rack with nonstick cooking spray.

While the oven is heating up, mix the tzatziki sauce ingredients in a small bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside.  Chop the lettuce and feta, and drain (or chop) the tomatoes.  

Spread half of the chicken strips atop the rack of the broiling pan, leaving some space between them.   Broil 3 minutes, flip the chicken strips, then broil another 3 minutes.  Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, cover with foil and repeat with the remaining chicken.  Serve by spreading tzatziki sauce atop a pita, adding a few chicken strips, then topping with lettuce, tomato and feta. 

Cooking Tip:
To quickly prep the cucumber, first peel it, then halve it lengthwise.  Use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds from one half of the cucumber, then cut it lengthwise into thin strips, then crosswise to make a fine dice.

Gyro Patty Sandwiches

I've been pretty pleased with my Lodge grill pan, and last weekend was trying to come up with something to cook with it.  I recalled having seen a recipe for some grilled kebabs somewhere in one of my cooking resources, and after looking for a bit, I found the recipe for Grilled Middle Eastern-Style Ground Beef Kebabs in America's Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers.  This kebab recipe didn't involve chunks of meat; instead, it combined ground beef, onions and chopped parsley with Middle Eastern seasonings to make rectangular patties.   Looking at the recipe, I realized kebabs like that would cook just fine without the skewers, and that they would cook up quite well on the grill pan. 

There were some things I didn't like about that recipe - I preferred a more broad range of seasonings, and I knew a mix of ground beef and ground lamb would give a richer flavor reminiscent of gyro meat - so I took the parts I liked from that recipe and combined them with my customizations to make the recipe below.

I was quite pleased with the result.  The meat patties cooked up great on the grill pan.  They were juicy and flavorful, with nice grill marks.  Adding a minty yogurt-tomato sauce and wrapping it up in a warmed-up pita round resulted in not just a tasty sandwich, but one hearty enough to make a meal all on its own. 

Try this one out.  Grilled outside or in, I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with the result.


Gyro Patty Sandwiches

yield = 6 servings

1 1/4      cup + 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1            tomato, cored and chopped
3            tablespoons lemon juice
3            tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3            teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/8      teaspoons salt, divided
1            teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, divided
2            slices white bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces
1            pound ground beef
1            pound ground lamb
1/4         cup grated onion
1/3         cup chopped fresh parsley
2            teaspoons ground cumin
1/2         teaspoons Turkish oregano
6            pita breads

In a small bowl, combine 1 1/4 cup yogurt, the chopped tomato, lemon juice, chopped mint, 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, combine the bread with 3 tablespoons yogurt.   Stir and mash with a fork to make a thick paste.  Add the ground beef and lamb, grated onion, chopped parsley, cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Stir to combine the ingredients, then divide the meat mixture into six equal portions.  Shape into rectangular patties about 1 inch thick. 

Brush clean grilling service lightly with vegetable oil and allow to heat (for five minutes for outdoor grills, for about 3 minutes for grill pans) before adding the meat patties.  Grill for approximately 5 minutes per side over direct heat (or on medium-high, if using a stove top grill pan).  Serve on pita rounds spread with generous portions of the yogurt sauce.