Tzatziki Cucumber Dip

By hcardall

What a great and delicious appetizer! Tangy and refreshing, this cucumber yogurt dip is called Tzatziki in Greek. You can serve it with crisp baked pita wedges, but it also goes well with crudités. Note.... There is some straining necessary to get excess liquids out, so start to prepare this the night before, if possible. Do not make more than one or two days ahead, it won't keep well.

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2% greek or plain yogurt
• 1 English hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, grated (reg cucumbers are ok if no English cucumbers are avail, but put in strainer to get liquid out, for about an hour)
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 pita breads, cut horizontally in half, then cut into wedges
• Olive oil
• Optional garnish... a little cayenne pepper for a little color and kick! Add a couple of mint leaves and diced cucumbers as well.

Details

Servings 2
Preparation time 15mins
Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

Line sieve with cheesecloth and place over medium bowl. Place yogurt in sieve or strainer. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to drain in refrigerator overnight.

Mix cucumber and 1 tablespoon salt in small bowl; cover and chill 3 hours.

Transfer drained yogurt to another bowl. Mix in sour cream, lemon juice, dill and garlic. Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible from cucumber. Stir cucumber into yogurt. Season with pepper. Cover; chill at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place pita wedges on baking sheets. Brush with olive oil. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store pita airtight at room temperature.) Serve cucumber dip with baked pita wedges.