Stuffed gyros baguette

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 baguette(s)
• 2 m.-large vine tomatoes
• 8 m.-large mushrooms, brown
• 1 onion(s), red
• 100 g feta cheese
• 400 g gyros meat (pork or chicken gyros)
• 100g tzatziki
• 2 tbsp olive oil for frying
• Spice(s) e.g. garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, rosemary etc.

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Cut the baguette in half and then crosswise to create four halves. Carefully hollow out the halves, not too much so the “shell” doesn’t become too thin. Press the insides down slightly. Place the baguettes in a baking dish or on a baking sheet. Dice the tomatoes, season them generously in a bowl (with spices of your choice, e.g., garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, rosemary, etc.), and toss with a tablespoon of oil (I like olive oil). Let everything sit for about 10 minutes. Then strain the mixture through a sieve and collect the liquid. Note: I do this because otherwise the tomatoes become too mushy. I’ll use the juices later to retain the seasoning. Dice the mushrooms. Dice the onion. Dice or crumble the feta cheese. Brown the meat in a tablespoon of oil, remove from the pan (retaining the juices), and set aside. Preheat the oven to 150°C (top/bottom heat). Sauté the mushrooms and onions in the meat pan with the tomato juice for a few minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside. Briefly sauté the seasoned tomatoes in the pan. For the filled baguettes, first spread the tomatoes and then the mushrooms into the cavity, all the way to the top. Place the meat on top, using the entire surface up to the outer edge of the baguette. Arrange the feta cubes on top and press down slightly to prevent too much of the crumble from falling off. Spread the tzatziki with a small spoon. Bake the filled baguettes on the middle rack at 150°C (top/bottom heat) for 10 minutes, then brown for another 5 minutes at 180°C (fan oven/grill). If you don’t have a grill, simply brown the baguettes for 5 minutes at 200°C (top/bottom heat). Always keep an eye on them, as every oven is a little different. The great thing about this recipe is that you can swap out the ingredients as you please. Depending on your taste, you can use corn, zucchini, more or fewer onions, sprinkle the filling with arugula and/or toasted pine nuts, refine it with a little olive oil, and so on. The sky’s the limit. Enjoy.