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Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a wonderful Greek yogurt dip and condiment.  It's great with pita bread or veggies, or as a topping on all kinds of grilled foods. Make sure you use a full fat, thick Greek yogurt, and that you squeeze as much water out of the grated cucumber as you can - you don't want a watery Tzatziki; it should be thick and rich.



1/2 English cucumber (about 6-inches), sliced lengthwise in half

1/4 tsp kosher salt


1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5%)

2 cloves garlic, grated with microplane or minced through a press

1/2 shallot, very finely diced

1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried dill)

1/8 tsp Aleppo red pepper (or fine-ground Korean chili pepper), or to taste

1 tsp red wine vinegar


Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds in the center of each half. Coarsely grate cucumber and toss in a colander with the salt.  Allow to sit 10-15 minutes.


Squeeze water from cucumber and then tip onto the center of a full-sized paper towel.  Roll and wrap the cucumber and squeeze out the remaining water over the sink.  The drier the cucumber, the better the tzatziki.


Mix the cucumber with the remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir well to mix evenly.  Refrigerate for as much of an hour as you can to let flavors meld and the shallots to soften.


Makes just over a cup of tzatziki. Top with a spinkling of the best olive oil you can find.



Cook's Note: Tzatziki is also great served with grilled food - here I paired it with lamb and feta kofta patties (recipe to come soon).



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