Tzatziki – AKA: That Stuff That You Can’t Pronounce
Tzatziki (tuh-Zee-kee…I think) is a versatile Greek dipping sauce most well known for use in pitas or paired with grilled meats. I love to use it as a substitute for mayo in regular ol sandwiches of any kind. But, the combo of charred beef, chicken or lamb and a good tzatziki is something that can’t easily be beaten.
Thin skinned cucumbers like Persian or English are preferred for many reasons. They are easier to use since you don’t have to peel them and most importantly, they’re not supposed to give you gas, as the thicker skin in regular cucumbers may for some. You don’t want your bloated friends stinking up your apartment. That’s just bad form.
Tzatziki can be made super quick and goes with so many things. To me, it can be for any time of year either to cool down a hearty fall or winter meat-heavy meal or be used in a nice light grilled chicken pita or wrap in the spring or summer. This recipe can obviously be made on its own or in conjunction with my Eastern Mediterranean spread I’ve put together with links found here:
Cast Iron Grilled Chicken Kebabs
(Serving Size – A Small Party or Me for a weekend)
- 4 Persian Cucumbers, or 1 English Cucumber, about 2 cups grated
- 1 cup Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Fresh Mint, diced
- 2 tbsp Fresh Dill, diced
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
- ½ tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lets get started.
1.) First, let’s grab your box grater or whatever kind you have and plan on using the coarse shredding side. If you don’t have one, it really makes life easier, and can be found at any store locally for less than $10, or online like Amazon where they are something like $5. Just get one you cheapskate. Shred up all the cucumbers into a nice, neat little cucumber mountain.
2.) Now, the next step is vital and that is to drain your cucumber of water. Either put into a colander in the sink or over a bowl or even put some paper towels down and let the cucumber rest there, finally putting another towel over and patting everything down.
3.) Next, dice up your herbs and mince up your garlic (or use a garlic press if you have one), and then add your yogurt and herbs/garlic to a medium size mixing bowl. Use whole milk Greek yogurt. Whole milk is, in my opinion, just the bee’s knees (or the cows knees?) This will give the most rich texture and flavor. In all honesty though, if you’re watching your calories or just don’t feel like springing for another yogurt since you’re got a giant sized nonfat one in your fridge you barely touch from Costco, or the Company of Cost as I call it since I like making everything more complicated, go for it.
Throw everything in there, plus the salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil and give it all a whirl. Lots of whirls.
4.) Finally, plate it up in a serving bowl. You can serve it now, or let it sit, covered in the fridge for a while for the flavors to get to know each other (sorry Babish, I stole that from you). Feel free to double it up for larger parties or if you just really want a lot of tzatziki for yourself. It’ll last a good 3 days in the fridge at minimum. You can even give some to your neighbors that you hear in the hallway from inside your apartment, and then wait there at the door until they’ve gone into their apartment or out the building so you don’t have to talk to them. It’ll be a nice welcome gift, even though they moved in one year ago.
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