Tzatziki

Often when I'm in a hurry and don't know what to make for dinner I end up making Tzatziki. This cucumber-yoghurt recipe makes a versatile side dish that can be paired with fish, chicken, meat of any kind or just eaten with homemade bread or pita.

Ingredients;


1 cucumber
1 cup plain yoghurt (preferably Greek and strained in a cheesecloth lined sieve)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp good olive oil
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped mint
Salt and pepper

Peel the cucumber if you prefer and then seed it. Grate the peeled, seeded cucumber and toss it with 1 tsp salt. Place it in a sieve and and set it over a bowl to drain. Most recipes ask for it to be put in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours together with the yoghurt but when I'm in a hurry I just let it stand on the counter for 15 min and then squeeze it to get as much liquid as possible from the cucumber.

Transfer the thickened yoghurt to a bowl, add the cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley and mint (both the parsley and mint can be skipped if you don't have it, the Tzatziki will yummy anyway).
Mix and add pepper to taste. If you need it add more salt as well. Keep refrigerated until served.