Tzatziki Yogurt Sauce
Tzatziki sauce is a staple of Mediterranean cooking. There are several variations on the theme to include the Turkish Cajik and Haydari sauces. The basic idea is to combine cucumber, dill, mint, lemon, or garlic in some meaningful way and use it as a dipping sauce. It’s great with fresh vegetables or pita, but also delicious as a dipping sauce for red meat as in kofte or kebab. Authentically, at least for Cajik, the cucumber is grated and then pressed to expel water, but this version is a whole lot simpler. It was part of our recent Mediterranean dinner – numerous interesting recipes coming your way from that one!
what you need
half a cucumber, peeled and very finely diced
1 handful of fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 clove of garlic, diced finely
1 teaspoon paprika or cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 cups Greek yogurt of choice
Top with: thinly sliced cucumber, sprig of dill, sprinkle of sumac (optional)
how to make it
Dice the cucumber finely and add to a bowl with dill. Add the yogurt and stir until combined.
Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, cayenne, garlic, and pepper, and stir well to combine.
Refrigerate until ready for use. Overnight is fine. The garlic will seriously blow up in this sauce. I’m usually a fan of mega garlic but I’d tread lightly on this one.
Spoon into a bowl, sprinkle with sumac, and top with cucumbers and dill. Serve chilled.
