Tzatziki tis Teibelias
Τζατζίκι της τεμπελιάς·(tzah-tzee-kee tees tem-bel-YAS)
Meze & Kefi (The Front Porch Spread)
A battered box grater, a tub of full-fat Fage yogurt, and a single clove of garlic smashed with the flat of a knife. True tzatziki demands grating, salting, and violently wringing out cucumbers through a cheesecloth. But on a Tuesday night, skip the chore. Swap the water-logged cucumber for a double measure of raw garlic and a sharp hit of wine vinegar instead of the clichéd lemon juice, reconstructing the thick, sharp bite of an Athenian taverna dip in three minutes flat. Drown the bowl in a heavy pool of olive oil and tear the pita.
Ingredients
- plain Greek yogurt1 1/2 cup
- garlic2 med cloves
- extra virgin olive oil1 1/2 tbsp
- red or white wine vinegar1 tbsp
- dried mint1 tsp
- fine sea salt1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Combine the yogurt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, mint, and salt in a medium serving bowl.
- 02
Whisk the mixture vigorously with a fork until the olive oil completely emulsifies into the yogurt.
You are looking for a smooth, glossy finish without any separate pools or streaks of oil.
- 03
Rest the dip in the refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes before serving.
While you can eat it immediately, giving the raw garlic time to mellow in the lactic acid marries the flavors into something far more profound.
Notes
Never substitute garlic powder.
American supermarket garlic can be aggressively pungent, so use just one fresh clove if you are sensitive, but the chemical taste of dehydrated powder will ruin the dish entirely.
Miss the cucumber crunch?
If you want the hydration without the labor, simply slice a cucumber into thick rounds and use them as chips to scoop the dip directly.
From Cook Greek in America.