Tzatziki Sauce!!!!

I've proclaimed my love for many things on this blog, but none of them come near my love for Tzatziki sauce. Or cucumber sauce as my hopeless American friends often call it. :) This stuff is a requirement for gyros and souvlaki along with anything else I can dip into it, including my fingers.

I have had many friends ask me how to make this and I often look at them with a blank stare. I make it all the time yet I never pay attention to how I'm making it. So this afternoon I attempted to do just that...write down what I was doing. My notes have a lot of scratches on them, but it sounds right!

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

1 large cucumber
2 Tbl Olive Oil
2 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt
1/2 Tbl Lemon Juice
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 1/2 Tbl fresh dill, chopped
Salt & Pepper

A note about Greek yogurt before we get started. YES you need Greek yogurt, "American" yogurt is not the same. Greek yogurt is much thicker, you can strain the other stuff but it still won't come out right. Different taste and a different consistency. Another thing, Greek yogurt has become very popular in the past couple of years, which has made it easier to purchase (yeah!). It also has made it so there are many companies producing yogurt that isn't...well, very Greek (boo!). I've been happy with Fage brand. I do suggest if you're in doubt over the brand to go ahead and strain it. You can do this by putting a coffee filter in a strainer and adding the yogurt, unless you have a yogurt strainer! Just let it sit for at least an hour.

Now, the cucumber. It needs to be peeled, seeded, and diced. To seed it, just cut it in half long ways and slide a spoon down to remove the seeds. Now, the second very important thing. Put the diced cucumber into a strainer and sprinkle a small amount of salt on it. Let it sit for about an hour. Cucumbers have an amazing amount of water, you need to remove as much of the water as possible. If you skip this step you'll end up with runnier tzatziki sauce.

Now comes the easy part! Simply add all of the items together in a large bowl and mix well. Add salt & pepper to taste. I probably add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. 

That's all you need to do! Your dip is officially ready. I recommend refrigerating it for a few hours before you eat it, it helps the flavors blend together. This dip is really easy, so enjoy!