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.
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