Tzatziki Dip

Submitted by: phatj

Keywords: Appetizer, Vegetables, Condiment, Dip, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Blender

My own take on Tzatziki sauce. The onion is inauthentic, but I think it adds nice color for presentation as a dip.

As written, this recipe is a bit too chunky to use as a sauce. If you like, you could puree the third cucumber and onion as well.

3		cucumbers, seeded
1/2	c	fresh dill weed, chopped
3		cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4	tsp	freshly ground black pepper
1	tsp	salt
1/2		red onion, finely minced
1	qt	plain yogurt (pref. whole milk)
		extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Coarsely chop two of the cucumbers and add to blender along with dill, garlic, salt & pepper. Add water about halfway and puree until fairly smooth.

Strain cucumber puree through a fine-mesh strainer. While it's draining, mince the remaining cucumber and stir it, along with minced onion, into yogurt. If using low- or nonfat yogurt I recommend adding a little olive oil.

Stir drained cucumber solids into yogurt. Pour mixture into a cheesecloth-lined drainer and drain over a bowl in the fridge for at least an hour.

Remove mixture from cheesecloth (it should separate fairly cleanly after straining this long) and serve. This makes a great dip for thick-cut potato chips or crackers such as Triscuits.

Date	User	Comment
Sun 08/24/08 19:22:16	phatj	Initial entry of recipe.