Tzatziki

This wonderful Greek dish can be made as a cold “soup”, as a salad, or as a dip.

It is refreshing and delicious served chilled, as soup at the start of a summer meal.

If you want to make it as a dip or as a salad, you can use  a more solid yogurt, or add any white cheese that you like, to make it thicker. Serve as a dip and scoop it up with slices of peppers, celery, cucumbers, pita or a good crusty bread. Wonderful to serve at brunch, or at any dairy meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo (about 2+ lbs) yogurt (if making it as soup, the yogurt should be liquid’y – or a combination of liquid yogurt and more solid yogurt, according to taste).
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 cucumbers grated and strained
• fresh dill, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• 2-3 teaspoons vinegar

Preparation:

1. Grate peeled cucumbers (or, if you prefer, partially peeled), and put in strainer to remove excess water)
2. In large bowl put yogurt, crushed garlic, grated and strained cucumbers, finely chopped dill, salt, pepper, and finally, a spritz or two of olive oil, and 2-3 teaspoons vinegar.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Chill in refrigerator.
5. To serve, pour into little cups or serving bowls.
6. Decorate with a bit of chopped dill.

Tip: Can also decorate with a bit of chopped mint (na’na) immediately before serving.