Tzatziki Sauce

Of all the different sauces and condiments, tzatziki is by far my favourite:  creamy, thick, garlicky and fresh.  It's also surprisingly versatile: It's a great dip for vegetables and pieces of pita bread, you can spread it on fish as a fresh sauce and of course, it's the perfect sauce for souvlakis.

I've tried many versions of this sauce and each time I was a bit disappointed.  Although the flavours were there, it was never creamy enough and I ended up with a watery version of tzatziki.  I finally found the trick to making the perfect creamy, thick and flavourful sauce.

I found this perfect recipe for tzatziki on a blog:  The Shiksa in the Kitchen.  Tori, the genius behind this blog, is truly gifted.  All of her recipes I've tried are simple to prepare and very flavourful.  I strongly encourage you to visit her blog and add it to your favourites.  

So back to tzatziki.  What I discovered is that the essential step to preparing the perfect tzatziki is to first strain both the yogurt and cucumber.  If you chose to make your tzatziki with Greek yogourt (which I strongly recommend), you only need to strain the yogurt for 2 to 3 hours (regular yogourt will need to be strained for 14 to 15 hours!).  For more details on how to strain yogurt, please visit Shiksa in the Kitchen; you will find a detailed post outlining the steps to follow.  Keep in mind that the longer you strain yogurt, the thicker and creamier it will be.

Tzatziki
yields about 1½ cups

Ingredients

• 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ tablespoon fresh chopped mint 
• ½ tablespoon fresh chopped dill
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt 

Directions
Strain your greek yogurt:  Place a strainer on top of a large mixing bowl.  Line the strainer with 4 layers of cheesecloth and pour 1 ½ cups of Greek yogurt in the centre.  Using kitchen twine, tie the cheesecloth to form a small pouch.  Let the yogurt strain 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, peel and seed the cucumber.  
Using a food processor, finally chop the cucumber (If you don't have a food processor, you can also grate the cucumber using a cheese grater).  
Using 2 layers of cheesecloth, place the shredded cucumber in the centre. Gather up the cheesecloth and twist at the top to form a bundle. Squeeze the pouch several times over the sink, to get rid of as much liquid as possible.

In a bowl, mix together the cucumber, olive oil, mint, dill, garlic, lemon juice and the salt.  
Once the yogurt is strained, add it to the cucumber mixture.
Adjust seasoning and refrigerate.
Serve cold.

Enjoy!

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