• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon dill
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cucumber, minced (About 1/2 cup)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1. The first step occurs the day before you plan to make tzatziki. The yogurt must be drained to remove excess moisture. This can be done using cheese cloth or a coffee filter. I usually use a coffee filter because the conical filters that my machine requires fit nicely into a strainer that I own. To strain the yogurt, place a strainer over a bowl or pitcher so that the bottom of the strainer is at least 2 inches above the bottom of the bowl. Place the coffee filter or cheese cloth in the strainer. Pour the yogurt into the filter and let stand in the refrigerator overnight. The yogurt will lose roughly half of its volume overnight.
   
2. The next day, place the lemon juice, olive oil and garlic into a blender. Pulse until the garlic is pureed.
3. Discard the liquid that was strained from the yogurt and place the strained yogurt into a mixing bowl.
   
4. Slice the cucmber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Mince the cucumber and place onto a small plate. Lightly press the cucumber and pour off any excess water.
5. Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
   
6. Allow the tzatziki to chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving. Serve as a dip with pita wedges, cucumber spears or other dippable veggies.

Makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups

• If you prefer a smoother tzatziki, you can use a food processor to do the mixing. Add half the yogurt and all the other ingredients to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the remaining yogurt and chill.

Tagged as: cucumber, garlic, Greek, lemon juice, recipes, Yogurt