Having had travelled extensively throughout the Aegean, Ionic and uncountable Greek Islands, I collected thousands of recipes literally and here is the true classic Tzatziki.
Ingredients
3 cucumbers
500 g Greek Yogurt from Greece (available in Lidl ) drained of all liquids overnight.
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp of fresh herb Dill Minced
1 tbsp of Greek extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp of fresh herb Mint Minced
2 tbsp Greek extra virgin olive oil if required
1 tiny drizzle of fresh squeezed lemon juice
Method
1) Grate the cucumber & place in a triple layer of coffee fliters or kitchen cloth to drain in a strainer.
2) Now place in glass bowl.
3) Drizzle the lemon (1 eye dropper for aroma and flavor ).
4) When the yogurt is completely drained, add to the bowl.
5) Now, the cucumbers shall be pressed together to form a sponge.
6) Squeeze out all liquids of the cucumber sponge.
7) Now, place this in the glass bowl, pulled apart with your hands, as it is in a sponge texture.
8) Toss all and add salt and freshly ground black pepper.
9) Place herbs minced in the bowl too . Drizzle in the Evoo very slowly and gently with an eye dropper or a pipette
10) Take a stand up mixer and gently combine as if making a pesto. In Greece, Tzatziki is not a fine texture. It is textured.
11) After mixing, place in a dry glass bowl and refrigerate until ready to use, covered very tightly with wrap or aluminum foil ( for 2 to 3 hours ).
Serve with hot toasted pita and Kalamata olives ..
Photo: This photo comes from a tiny guide I wrote many years ago for my clients.
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