Milk Street Television Season 5 Episode 22 Souvlaki and Flatbread

In Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, Season 2 season 5 episode 22, titled "Souvlaki and Flatbread," viewers are taken on a culinary journey through the Mediterranean as Christopher Kimball explores the flavors and techniques behind souvlaki and flatbreads.

The episode begins with a visit to ‘Greek Occasions,’ a family-owned restaurant in Massachusetts where Kimball talks with the owner, Andreas, who shares his family’s recipe for souvlaki. Kimball learns that aside from the traditional marination, there’s another key factor that makes the meat tender: grinding the spices into a powder then coating the meat before skewering. Andreas roasts the meat over flames, grills vegetables, and serves everything on warm pita bread. Kimball takes note of each step as Andreas cooks, and later applies some of those same techniques to his own recipe.

Back at Milk Street, Chef Matthew Card shows viewers how to make a Greek flatbread called lahmajoun, made with a flavorful, spiced meat topping on a crispy, thin crust. He draws inspiration from Istanbul, Turkey, just across the sea from Greece, where lahmajoun is commonly consumed. Card walks the audience through the process of making the crust at home, which is surprisingly easy – it just requires flour, salt, and water. While the dough rests, he prepares the meat topping with a combination of ground lamb, ground beef, and a classic Middle Eastern spice blend called za’atar. Once the topping is evenly spread across the dough, Card bakes the flatbread in the oven until it’s crispy and golden.

In the second segment of the show, Kimball takes the traditional Greek souvlaki dish and gives it a modern twist by pairing it with a refreshing, summery orzo salad. He explains that the orzo salad can be made with whatever vegetables are in season; he uses cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and grilled zucchini, adding feta cheese and a light dressing made with lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.

The last recipe featured in this episode is an Indian flatbread called paratha, which is typically served alongside curries. To make the paratha, Kimball combines whole wheat flour with water, salt, and oil to create the dough, before rolling it out and brushing it with ghee (clarified butter) and sprinkling it with cilantro. He then folds the dough in half, creating layers of buttery goodness, before cooking it in a hot skillet to achieve a crispy texture.

The episode concludes with Kimball revisiting the importance of grinding spices before marinating the meat, as well as incorporating a fresh salad to balance out the flavors and textures of a heavy dish. The takeaway from this episode is that it’s the small details that make a big difference in the final outcome of a dish – using freshly ground spices instead of store-bought, making your own flatbread crust, and pairing dishes with unexpected or refreshing sides can elevate a meal from good to great.

Overall, viewers of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, Season 2 season 5 episode 22, "Souvlaki and Flatbread," can expect to learn about the techniques and flavors behind Greek and Indian flatbreads, how to marinate meat for the best results, and how to create refreshing side dishes that complement and elevate heavy, protein-rich meals.