Feasting in Greece and Falling For Tzatziki

Gliding high above sea level in the Lycabettus Hill funicular, I anticipated what awaited us atop. It was Greek Orthodox Easter and here I was, in Greece. The storied view of The Parthenon lit at night, Saint George Church and Orizontes restaurant, where we would dine, captured my imagination.

Midday and evening meals on our Greek journey all began with generous bowls of tzatziki and warm flatbread, each tzatziki with a nuance all its own. Tzatziki is a Greek sauce or dip or condiment of yogurt and cucumber. The simple deviations are the amount of garlic, the choice of herb, the use of lemon (or not ) and the amount of olive oil. Wherever we dined, from Athens to storybook pretty Nafplio, tzatziki was the welcome friend, and delectable staple that greeted our energized group forty strong. Someone had grated lots of cucumber just for us. Someone had made exceptional yogurt. (Learn how to here.) Someone had made their choice on the amount of garlic and which herbs.

Now, I make these very choices and my own tzatziki in my American kitchen. This simple sauce can be a dip for flatbread or raw vegetables or steamed asparagus or peppers, a condiment for grilled meat. Tzatziki thinned with a bit of buttermilk for salad dressing. The uses abound for this simple Greek condiment made with ingredients from the SimplyCooking® Pantry.

tzatziki

2 cucumbers

salt and pepper

2 cups yogurt

2 or more cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP olive oil

fresh dill, to taste

Cut the cucumbers in half and then slice lengthwise down the center revealing the seeds. Scrape the seeds mostly out, then, in a bowl, grate the cucumbers down to the skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let stand 10 minutes. Place the yogurt and remaining ingredients in a second bowl. Empty the grated cucumber into a clean dish towel (a flour sack towel is ideal) and twist and squeeze out the juices. Place the cucumber into the yogurt bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. In place of fresh dill, fresh mint or parsley can be used.