Tzatziki with Champagne Wine Vinegar and Garlic Infused Olive Oil

Tzatziki is a Greek sauce usually served as a dip or with grilled meats as a main course. It’s what you typically find in your gyro or as a condiment to souvlaki. Cucumber, yogurt and sour cream are the star ingredients and making it at home is as easy as throwing ingredients into a bowl. However, the secret is to extract as much liquid from the cucumber as possible which takes time so plan ahead. We found a great recipe from Ina Garten and adapted it slightly. She calls for straining plain yogurt in cheesecloth for hours but with all the Greek yogurts on the market (which is already strained) we could skip that step. This recipe is easy on effort but takes time to fully develop. Once you try it, you’ll agree that it’s worth the wait!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (whole milk or low fat)
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded
• 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Olive This! Champagne Wine Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Olive This! Garlic Olive Oil
• 1½ teaspoons minced fresh dill
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

You want to extract as much water from the cucumber as possible. Grate the cucumber and add it to a small bowl. Toss it with the kosher salt and transfer to a sieve. Place the sieve over the bowl (to catch the water) and place both in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Add the Greek yogurt into a large bowl. Retrieve the grated cucumber from the fridge and squeeze as much water out of it as possible and add cucumber to the yogurt.

Stir in the sour cream, Champagne vinegar, garlic olive oil, lemon juice, chopped dill, remaining ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.

The tzatziki is ready to serve but for best results, let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavors to marry.

The tzatziki can be served chilled or at room temperature.

MAKES ABOUT 2 ½ CUPS

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