Greek Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Tzatziki Sauce - A tangy, delicious yogurt dip with cucumber, lemon, garlic and oil. Perfect with a pita, in a gyro or on a burger.

Have you ever had Tzatziki Sauce?  I worked at a Greek/Fast food restaurant for 7 years and I could NOT get enough of it. EXCEPT - homemade is sooo much better!  It requires a little bit of forethought and some time, but it's not hands on time - so easy!

First, you need to peel your cucumber (or not, your choice) and then grate it into a sieve/mesh strainer.  Set your strainer over a bowl to catch the water, and then sprinkle the cucumber with salt, which helps draw out the moisture.

Then just let it sit for about twenty to thirty minutes, until a lot of the moisture drains out.  I always squeeze the cucumber after this, just to make sure to get as much water as possible.  If you don't get a lot of liquid out, you'll have a really thin Tzatziki - and you don't want that!

Tip - if you can't find a thick Greek yogurt at your grocery store, try setting some plain yogurt in a piece of cheesecloth over a mesh strainer. Put that in the fridge and forget about for a couple of hours .  You should find quite a bit of liquid had drained out when you go back and check.

Also, most recipes call for dill.  I love dill, but not in my Tzatziki sauce.  So while my version may not necessarily be authentic - it's still totally amazing and delicious.

Do you prefer with or without dill?

By the way, I love this Greek Tzatziki Sauce on the Greek Turkey Burgers I posted this week - try that out!  It's also so good serve very simply, with some grilled pita breads.

It'll also show up in another recipe I'll post soon - Greek Style French Fries!

How do you serve your Tzatziki Sauce?