Papou's Tzatziki Sauce
This recipe comes from Christina’s Papou (“grandfather” in Greek). He was born in Crete, Greece and was able to share his love for cooking (was a professional Chef) with Christina. Here is one of her favorite and easy traditional recipes from the island of Crete.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cucumber
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon plus a pinch of sea salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Handful of fill mint (or dill)
- Lemon juice
Directions:
- Place yogurt in a colander lined with a cheese cloth, and let drain for at least a few hours. (Can do this overnight in the fridge).*
- Peel and grate cucumber, sprinkle with salt and place in sieve or clean cloth. Let sit for 15-20 mins to drain excess water.
- Squeeze and firmly drain all the liquid. (one of, if not the most important steps)
- Finely chop the garlic and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt to make a paste
- Mix garlic and cucumber with yogurt
- Finely chop mint, combine
- Drizzle with generous amount of olive oil, combine
- Add splash of lemon juice, combine
- Cover and refrigerate for overnight. This will allow the flavors to meld together.
- To garnish drizzle with olive oil and fresh mint.
Serve with warm pita, veggies, or grilled meat
*This is to make the sauce more creamy and thick opposed to the sometimes more thin sauce you find on main land Greece or around the world.
Enjoy!
