EASY TZATZIKI SAUCE

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I love Greek food.  Something about Meditteranean food just lights a fire in me.  My friend Sophie is Greek and I have really been wanting to meet her grandparents and learn how to make some of the authentic ways of cooking Greek food.  

 A few weeks ago I cooked a boneless leg of lamb roast and for some reason, my taste buds were yelling at me to make a gyro with thin slices of garlic rosemary lamb.  Which means I needed to make tzatziki sauce.  Now by no means can I say this recipe is authentic.  I will say that it turned out rather tasty.  Scott loved it.  

 With the spirit of wanting this to be as authentic as I could make it, I decided to make homemade Greek yogurt.  

Chop some garlic cloves


Chop the cucumber


 Combine Greek yogurt, cucumbers, olive oil, salt, garlic, dill, and white wine vinegar and some white pepper.  I chose to use fresh dill.  I am sure you can use dried dill weed.  If you use dried remember you need to use much less.  

 TZATZIKI SAUCE
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
  • 1/8 cup fresh chopped dill (if using dried 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Directions
  • Seed and chop cucumber.
  • Mince garlic.
  • Chop dill.
  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Chill at least 4 hours but better to chill overnight.  
Variations: 
  • Sometimes Greek yogurt can be overpowering.  To keep the strong flavor down you can use half sour cream and half Greek yogurt.
  • Add a small amount of fresh lemon juice.
  • Substitute white wine vinegar with white vinegar. 
  • Ground white pepper is optional.
  • You can use an English cucumber that is seedless but then you need to drain the cucumber.
While I used mine in a gyro this sauce can be used as a dip with vegetables.  You can also make homemade pita chips and dip them in your tzatziki sauce.  

I hope you will try out this recipe and let me know how you liked it.  

In the meantime, ENJOY!!


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