Tzatziki... or Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

When we were in Turkey in 2007, not only did I fall in love with Istanbul, but I also couldn't get enough of the cucumber yogurt meze they served everywhere. It was so refreshing and delicious.

Now that my crazy life of traveling the world is on hiatus, I miss the wonderful food I was being exposed to all the time. Then one day I was looking at the New York Times Web site and there was a recipe for tzatziki - the Greek name for the cucumber yogurt dip I loved so much. So, I made it. And it was delicious and completely satisfied the craving I'd been having for it.

Then yesterday, there it was again - that craving. The only problem: I can't seem to find that recipe anymore, so I decided to just wing it. It turned out just as well.

The hardest parts of the recipe are finding the right yogurt and making sure that your cucumbers are dried out enough. Not paying enough attention to either of these details makes for a watery, gross mess.

Make sure you find a Greek style yogurt. I can't stress that enough. Dannon will not do. If you can take the full fat kind, go for it. But, if you want a low fat or non-fat yogurt, that's alright as long as you choose properly. Let me say it again - it must have the word Greek on the container. And, of course, I am talking plain yogurt here. (Baz is modeling a container of my favorite non-fat kind - Stonyfield Farms Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt. In fact, a clean, empty container makes an excellent toy.)

As for the cucumbers, after chopping them pretty finely, put them in a colander in the sink and let them sit there for a while until most of the water has drained out of them. I mean, like an hour if you can handle that. Then I scoop them out of the colander with a paper towel to get some more of the moisture out of them.

Once you've got your yogurt and cucumbers set, it's very easy to make.

Tzatziki
1 large cucumber, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
16 oz. Greek style yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Chop the cucumbers into small pieces. Some people even grate them. Then sprinkle them with salt and drain them in a colander until most of the water has drained out of them.

Using a paper towel to remove more moisture, scoop the cucumbers out of the colander and move them into a bowl. Press the garlic cloves over the cucumbers. Stir in the yogurt until well mixed. Drizzle in the olive oil and continue mixing. Fold in the mint leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the sauce as an appetizer with pita bread or a nice crusty french baguette. You can also serve it on the side of a main course like grilled beef.

Some people like to add a little lemon juice as well. You can experiment to find a mixture that's right for you.