Tzatziki

Tzatziki, pronounced zat-zee-key is one of the classic sauces from the Greek cuisine. This yogurt based sauce is often served with gyro sandwiches and it is creamy, delicious and flavorful. It can be served as a dip or as a sauce with grilled meats. It is another thing that I can just polish off a bowl of cool, creamy tzatziki with out needing to find something to dip in. Usually Greek yogurt is used to prepare tzatziki but in the absence of it, strained full fat yogurt can be substituted. 

Ingredients:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 garlic clove chopped
1 small cucumber
Salt to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper corns to taste
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill leaves (Mint / parsley may be substituted.)

Method:
* Follow this step only if using full fat yogurt. Line a colander with multiple folds of cheese cloth or  a thin cotton cloth and drain full fat yogurt in it for about 2 - 3 hours or until the desired consistency is reached. Place the colander in the refrigerator while draining the yogurt.
* Peel and remove the seeds from the cucumber. Chop fine or grate the cucumber and sprinkle salt over it. Leave the mixture in the colander for about 30 minutes or so to drain the water. If the cucumbers are cubed, pat with paper towels to remove any extra moisture. In case the cucumber was grated, just squeeze out any extra water using hands. 
* Add cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and chopped dill to a food processor and blend. Add this mixture and ground pepper to the yogurt and mix well. Taste and add salt if needed and stir well to combine.
* Allow it to rest for sometime before serving so that flavors can develop.
* If not using immediately, refrigerate the tzatziki. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 -3 days.

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