Tzaziki

  Posted on March 25, 2010  by Leslie Blythe  1 comment

A Greek Meze

I am very excited to be doing a lunch for my daughter, Zoe’s English class.  They just finished The Odessey, so in celebration, her teacher wanted to have some Greek food.  Well, I love the idea!  I do think you can learn a lot about a culture through their food.  Here is one of the recipes that we are having on Friday – a staple in Greek cuisine.

Tzaziki

2 cups plain yogurt, whole milk or low-fat
1 hothouse cucumbers, unpeeled and seeded
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbs champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbs good olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 Tbs minced fresh dill
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Grate the cucumber and toss it with 2 tablespoons salt; place it in another sieve and set it over another bowl. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucumber can drain.

Transfer the thickened yogurt to a large bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumbers as you can and add the cucumbers to the yogurt. Mix in the sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to allow the tzatziki to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend.