Tzatziki Dip

[phatj]

Tzatziki Dip

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.

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

( RG2141 )