Tzatziki

Honestly, I don’t know how I ever lived without tzatziki. It has become such a staple in our fridge! We put it on absolutely everything from meatballs and chickpeas to roast chicken and pita. I never really ate it outside of Greece because I could never get on board with the store-bought versions. The pre-made kind was always the wrong texture, too chunky, too tangy, and NEVER had enough garlic. Make this version and you will be a convert forever! Best part is that it keeps getting better after 1-2 days in the fridge.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
2-3 small Persian cucumbers
4 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
Juice of half a lemon (3-4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons chopped dill (optional)

Grate the cucumbers on the large side of a box grater. Place grated cucumber in a small strainer in the sink and toss with a generous three-finger pinch of kosher salt. Allow to sit and drain for at least 5 minutes and up to 15.

Grate the garlic cloves into a medium bowl. Add yogurt and lemon juice and mix together either with a small whisk or a fork. Chop the dill and set aside.

Once the cucumbers’ allotted sitting time is over, use your hands to squeeze any remaining moisture out of them, placing into the yogurt mixture by the handful. Mix together well and add chopped dill and olive oil. At this point, taste the mixture for seasoning, because the cucumbers will have carried over some salt with them. Add another pinch of salt as needed and crack some pepper before mixing again. Drizzle with olive oil before serving.