TZATZIKI

Cool, creamy, dilly, cucumber laden, garlic tinged, tangy Greekness.  There's nothin' like it. 
We put that ****** on everything!

This house loves Greek. 

This house loves tzatziki. Scooped up with fresh, chewy-soft, warm pita.  Mmmm.

Or plopped onto spicy barbecued chicken.  Or for dip with smoky grilled ribs.  Or slathered on tender roasted lamb (and then rolled up in pita).  Or dolloped onto steaming baked potatoes.  Or alongside crunchy delicious tempura veggies and prawns.  Or mounded beside mouth-scalding green Thai curry.  Or spooned onto flaky, classic spanakopita.

You get the drift.  We like tzatziki, a lot.  And its so scrumptiously versatile.  Opa!

Tzatziki is one of those stand-by foods around our house.  I make it often.  Tonight we're having it with crispy, brazenly robust, oven fried, adobo chicken wings.

What?  You're kidding?  Really?  You've never heard of Greek-Filipino fusion? 

Well good thing I came along right about now, isn't it then?  Tagay!

TZATZIKI

1 tub (750g) Greek or Balkan style Natural Plain Yogurt
1 small English cucumber, or more often 1/2 of a medium-ish English cucumber : )
3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon fresh dillweed, chopped - or 1 heaping teaspoon dried dillweed
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher, sea or your favorite salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth or a clean, small kitchen towel or basket style coffee filter.  Set lined strainer up over a bowl so it is not touching the bottom.  Plop yogurt into lined strainer to drain.  Refrigerate. Let yogurt drain 2-3 hours.  Discard liquid.  Now your yogurt is thick and dreamily creamily delicious.


Put yogurt into medium mixing bowl.  Cut cucumber in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds by dragging a regular teaspoon along the seeded middle. Voila!  

Cut half of the seeded (or is it de-seeded?) cucumber into tiny, thin pieces.  Add to yogurt in bowl.  Grate the other half of the cucumber on a box grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove some of the liquid.  Add squeezed cuke to yogurt, along with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, dillweed, salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine. 

If you can, let the tzatziki mellow in the fridge for 1 or more hours, so the flavours to to know one another.  Serve with warm pita.  Or, well you know, your fave Filipino dish!