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Recipe: Sarah's Simple Tzatziki

sarah's simple tzatziki
A few weeks ago, my friends and I got together after work to play board games (yes yes I know - how very, um, exciting), and a friend and I were charged with providing food. We were meeting rather late, so there was no need to go with full dinner fare. I decided on a few Mediterranean dips and a salad because really now, is there anything better than ripping a pita loaf into shreds when you're caught up in the excitement of Jenga?!?! Tzatziki is one of my favorites, and though I do believe it's used more as a sauce or condiment in Greek cuisine, I love scooping it up with pita bread. My Sarah-ized version is written out after the jump:


Sarah's Simple Tzatziki
Place two to three layers of cheesecloth in a fine sieve placed over a bowl. Put 2 c. thick yogurt (I know I am going to get stoned for this, but I used fat-free yogurt), fold the cheesecloth over the yogurt, place something heavy on the yogurt to help squeeze out the liquid, and let drain in the fridge overnight.

Peel and seed a large cucumber, but if you like little flecks of green inyour tzatziki like I do, run the peeler along the length of the cucumber every other turn. Grate it on the largest holes of a grater into a colander, or you can be smooth like me and use one of the fancy Japanese mandolines. Sprinkle the grated/shredded cucumber with a teaspoon of salt, and let drain. After about 30-40 minutes, squeeze the cucumber over the sink or the bowl to get out all the liquid you can.

Stir the cucumber into the drained yogurt along with 2-3 cloves super finely minced garlic, juice from half a lemon, a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. I make mine very salty. Some people add fresh chopped dill, but that's just a little too much for me.

Serve with pita bread, or if you're crazy, pita chips.

Filed Under: Vegetarian, Raves & Reviews, Ingredients, How To
Tags: america, appetizers, cheese, comfort food, condiments, cooking, cucumbers, dairy, dips, entertaining, europe, greek cuisine, greek food, GreekFood, hors doeuvres, mediterranean, middle east, recipes, sauces, simple, spices, spreads, summer, tzatziki, vegetables, yogurt

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

Pete

7-25-2007 @1:32AM Pete said... I don't see a recipe :(
Reply

Frankie

7-25-2007 @2:15AM Frankie said... It's in there, you just have to read the paragraphs

2 Cups Thick Yogurt
1 Large Cucumber
2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tsp. EVOO
S&P to taste
Reply

Brian

7-25-2007 @2:54AM Brian said... If you don't like the dill that is normally in it, then try a little fresh mint instead.
Reply

Alexis

7-25-2007 @3:59PM Alexis said... Cooks illustrated recently put out a Gyro recipe with a great Tzatziki. It is close to yours, they used whole milk yogurt, and something else I can't remember. Check it out, it was an easy recipe to make (as opposed to many cooks illustrated recipes that take hours of work)
Reply

jasonthe29th

7-25-2007 @8:58AM jasonthe29th said... me and my special lady friend love this stuff. I might have to whip up a batch this weekend.
Reply

Annette Strauch

8-21-2007 @4:56AM Annette Strauch said... I love tzatziki!! I always add cucumber and loads of garlic.

ANNETTE STRAUCH
Reply

6 Comments / 1 Pages

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