Tzatziki Sauce

This yogurt dip is incredibly versatile—serve it with pita wedges as an appetizer, or pair it with

grilled fish or vegetables. Also goes well with the Souvlaki.

Ingredients

1 c Greek yogurt

1/3 English cucumber (about a 4-inch piece)

1 garlic clove

1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 to 2 T olive oil

½ t Kosher salt, or to taste

½ t freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Directions

Peel and deseed the cucumber. Mince the cucumber and set the pieces in a colander. Sprinkle salt liberally over cucumber and let it set for an hour so that the juice is extracted. Wash off the salt. Put the cucumber in a clean dishtowel to squeeze out excess juice. Set aside the cucumber.

Place a large garlic clove on a cutting board, peel and mince it. Add coarse salt to the garlic. Hold the blunt side of a knife with both hands and drag the sharp side of the blade across the garlic. Keep dragging the knife across the garlic. In a minute or two it will become a thick, rich blend-able paste. Reserve the garlic.

Place the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice and olive oil in a non-reactive bowl and mix to combine. Whisk a small amount of the garlic paste into the yogurt mixture. Taste. Add more if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate so that the flavors will blend.

Variation: Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of dried dill.