Tzatziki Sauce

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INGREDIENTS

• 16 ounces (2 cups) of thick Greek yogurt
• 4 to 10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 2-3 tsp fresh dill
• salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Mix the lemon juice and yogurt until each is incorporated fully. If you cannot find Greek yogurt, you can substitute plain. Many sources recommended full-fat, but I used fat free, and it still turned out well. If you do use regular plain yogurt, it helps to strain it prior to use, so that the tzatziki will be thicker and less runny. You can strain the yogurt by placing it in a couple of coffee filters inside a colander until most of the liquid runs out (probably at least 1/4 cup of liquid).
Seth’s tip: Mix these ingredients in a the bowl you intend to store it in. When finished, you can simply put a lid on it, and toss it in the refrigerator. One bowl = easier cleanup!

2. Puree the garlic, cucumber, and dill in a food processor. For a chunkier texture, you can simply grate the cucumber over the yogurt instead of pureeing. We like our sauce a little thinner, and decided to go with the grating option. However, if you like your tzatziki to be extra thick, you could do a couple more things to get a little more liquid out. De-seed the cucumber, cut it into slices, salt the flesh, and place it in a colander. If you let it sit for about 20-30 minutes, the salt will help to pull some of the liquid out.

3. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight would be preferable) before serving. The mixture needs time for the flavors to combine, otherwise it will not taste much different from regular yogurt. You can keep the tzatziki in the fridge for a couple days. Some liquid will probably form on top as it sets. Simply skim off this liquid and stir before each use.