tzatziki

Hi friends!

This is going to be a quick post.

Ha. I feel like I always say that but then I become incredibly verbose and write a seven page mission statement.

But not this time. Seriously. Ok, well we'll see I guess.

A quick ode to a good sauce.

Sauces have been my jam lately (also jam is a great sauce!). It's become commonplace advice to make a big batch of something for the week- typically a grain or a bean, perhaps a hearty stew or soup. I would like to turn that idea on it's head and argue that what you should be making a batch of for the week is a great sauce (or two..). A good sauce is versatile and can go on anything from meat to veggies to eggs to grains. It will liven up simple ingredients all week- all you have to do is peek into the refrigerator, pull out basically any food, cook it if necessary, pour your sauce on it and boom. You've got a fancy fabulous meal.

This is what I am advocating for. I'm a sauce lobbyist.

The kale puree I posted a few months back is a briiiiiiliant sauce to have on hand.

....and so is this tzatziki! Bring home a stack of pita and you can make improvised gyros with anything you have on hand. It's also fabulous as a dip for veggies, dolloped on the side of a salad, with beans, chicken, beef.... you get the idea. Although it feels like a treat that you'd only find in a restaurant, tzatziki is super easy to whip up and can turn any meal into a Mediterranean feast. Tzatziki is best friends with chickpeas, so anywhere you have chickpeas or hummus you're gonna want your tzatziki. Trust me.

Have I convinced you yet?

OK. Here's the recipe. I told you this would be a short one!

P.S. I recently concocted a gyro-style spice rub which gyro-fies any protein... I'll be posting the recipe soon so stay tuned!

tzatzkiki

adapted from My New Roots by Sarah Britton

1 cup greek yogurt

½ english cucumber, unpeeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

at least 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill- feel free to include more! I often use 4 tablespoons or more.

juice from ½ a lemon

salt of choice and freshly ground pepper

Grate the cucumber into a strainer (preferably lined with cheesecloth, but not mandatory) over a bowl. Let sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, put the yogurt in a mixing bowl. After the cucumber has drained a bit, squeeze out as much liquid as you can (the cheesecloth helps with this), and add the squeezed cuke to the yogurt. Add the olive oil, garlic, dill, and lemon juice, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, stir, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. You can always add more dill- in my experience there's no such thing as too much here!

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This gives the beautiful flavors a chance to develop and meld. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last at least a week!