Tzatziki is one of those funny Greek words that’s hard to pronounce (tsah-ZEE-kee) but boy is it good to eat!
Just the thought of Greece conjures images of lazy summer days, sun-kissed beaches, white-washed buildings with bright blue shutters and long afternoons in tavernas sipping glasses of retsina and dipping pita into big bowls of tzatziki.
But if you can’t make it to the Greek Isles this summer, you can always make this dish and pretend you’re there.
Ingredients
- 500 grams Greek yogurt–make sure it’s Greek!
- 1 large or 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced
- juice of 1 small lemon, about 2.5 Tablespoons
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 TBS kosher salt
- 1 TBS chopped dill
- 1 tsp Mangi con Amore olive oil (or a really good olive oil)
- salt and pepper to taste
First, peel the cucumber, cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Then slice the cucumber, put it in a colander and toss with kosher salt. Let it stand and drain in the sink for at least a half hour. The salt brings out a lot of the liquid in the cuke. If you skip this step, you’ll have watery tzatziki–not good!
Now for the the most important part. Once the cuke has released most of its liquid, put it in a CLEAN, lint-free dish cloth and squeeze out all of the liquid.
Many recipes will have you grate your cucumber, but believe me, that’s hard, time-consuming and you run the risk of injury! So put away your grater and bring out your mini food processor. Add the cucumbers, garlic, lemon, dill and blend.
Stir the blended mixture into the yogurt. It tastes even better if you mix all the ingredients in a bowl created by Sharon Hardy!
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| Bowl by Sharon Hardy…catch her at the Sawdust! |
Refrigerate for AT LEAST 2 hours so all the flavors blend and marry. Before serving garnish with a sprig of dill and just a drizzle of olive oil.
Plate with pita, pita chips and any crudites you like–I used yellow and red peppers today– and serve to your favorite people. Then stand back and smile as you watch them enjoy it!
Categories: Appetizers & Beverages, Salsas, Sides
Tags: Mangi Con Amore Olive Oil, Sharon Hardy Ceramics
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