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Tzatziki (Yogurt & Cucumber Dip)

July 5, 2008

The last time I made tzatziki, I didn’t remove enough water from the cucumber, and what should have been a creamy, thick dip turned out more like a thin sauce. This time I did it right.

I used Oikos organic Greek yogurt for this recipe. Oikos is made by Stonyfield Farm, and the company contacted me recently to see if I’d like coupons to try their Greek yogurt, and larger sizes of their regular, Stonyfield Farm brand low-fat yogurts. I was eager to do so, since our household is probably already one of their largest consumers of the 6 oz. yogurt containers — the boys’ favorite.

I often eat Greek yogurt for breakfast with fresh fruit mixed in (J. likes it with honey), but I’ve been buying Fage brand as it’s more available here than Oikos. The Oikos was just as creamy and rich (even at 0% fat) and not too tart, but because it’s organic it’s a little more expensive than Fage. In the future, I would choose whichever I found at a better price.

Tzatziki is traditionally made with dill, which I bought. But when I went to chop it this evening, it smelled of paint thinner! Even though it looked fresh, I couldn’t get a dill scent off of it even when I rubbed it between my fingers. It really put me off and I wound up throwing it out, unsure of what was going on with this bunch. Instead I used the fresh parsley from my farm share this week (the cucumber was from the CSA, too).

I served the tzatziki with falafel, pita, sliced tomatoes, lettuce mix, and some Kalamata olives. It’s the perfect cool and creamy condiment for this meal (especially when you add hot sauce to your falafel, like J. does). We almost finished the batch in one sitting.

Just after dinner tonight I saw a recipe for Yogurt, Dill, & Walnut Dip in the July 2008 Real Simple. Doesn’t that sound delicious as well?

Tzatziki (Yogurt & Cucumber Dip)
Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

1 medium cucumber, seeded and cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. parsley, roughly chopped
2 c. plain Greek yogurt (I used Oikos 0% Fat)
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Arrange cucumber pieces in a collander or chinois, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Allow the cucumber to drain for 30 minutes to an hour. Then, remove remaining water from the cucumber by either pressing with a spoon against the collander, or wrapping the cucumber in cheesecloth and wringing it out. (I was able to remove 1/4 c. of water from 1 medium cucumber.) Set aside.

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse garlic and parsley until they are minced. Add yogurt and the juice from the lemon, plus the cucumber, pulsing to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Refrigerate tzatziki for at least 2 hours before serving. Taste and adjust salt and pepper before serving.

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Filed under: CSA,Veggie Mains,Veggie Sides

Tags: creamy, csa, dinner, farm share, fat, food, household, Kalyn Kitchen, organic, Real Simple, recipe, sauce, Stonyfield Farm, Tzatziki Yogurt Cucumber Dip