Tzatziki Sauce (p. 141)

Tzatziki sauce, occasionally referred to as cucumber sauce, is a classic Greek yogurt sauce that you probably know as one of the key ingredients of gyros. Tzatziki is a combination of strained yogurt, strained cucumbers, garlic, lemon, and herbs such as parsley, mint, or dill. The acidity in Tzatziki pairs very well with the high fat content in lamb, which is why Symon suggests making it along with the roasted leg of lamb in Live to Cook.

On a side note, whether you are a gyro fan or you don't know what a gyro is, I highly suggest making a trip to the Westside Market for one of the best (and largest) around at Steve's Gyro's. According to their website, they were voted the best gyro in the country by Maxim in 2007.

Tzatziki Ingredients

 

Fage Total Yogurt

The recipe calls for the yogurt to be placed in a cheesecloth lined strainer for 24 hours but the Fage yogurt I bought was already strained so I skipped that step.

 

Straining the liquid out of cucumber

I peeled and diced the cucumber, salted it, and put it in a strainer over a bowl and left it on the counter. 

 

What do you think cucumbers are made of?

After a couple hours at room temperature, there was a lot of liquid in the bowl. 

 

Mint Waiting to be Chopped

Next up was chopping the mint. I learned a great trick for chopping mint and other leafy herbs from a video of Jonathon Sawyer, chef / owner of The Greenhouse Tavern. Stack all the leaves of what ever you need to chop together, roll them up, and chop from end to end. This is much faster and easier than trying to chop individual leaves and leaves you with a consistent cut. The toothpick is not necessary, I just put it there so I could take the picture.

 

Chopped Mint

Jonathon also said it is important to only chop fresh herbs one time, don't make multiple passes with the knife. Each cut releases more of the herbs oil, thereby reducing the flavor that winds up in your dish.

 

Tzatziki Waiting to be Mixed

I didn't bother taking pictures of the minced garlic or shallots, but they're in there, along with the juice of a couple lemons. 

 

Tada! Tzatziki Sauce

I mixed everything together, tasted it and seasoned it with salt & pepper. Yum! Great balance of acid & creaminess. It was a big hit with the Roasted Leg of Lamb I made on Christmas day and was even better with the gyros I made with the leftover lamb. This sauce would also be good as a dip for fresh vegetables or served as a dipping sauce for lamb meatballs. When I make it again, the only thing I will change is to reduce the amount of cucumber I use. I used the entire English cucumber this time and it was too much. I also suggest making this in a day or more in advance because the flavor gets better after it sits.

A side note...As I was reading about tzatziki and Greek yogurt on the internet I found a tip I thought I'd pass along. Greek yogurt is pretty expensive compared to regular yogurt (for yogurt). One site I looked at suggested straining regular yogurt instead. Just turn a container upside down over some cheesecloth and place it over a bowl to catch the liquid. After a few hours, most of the liquid drains out, and what's left is very much like a Greek yogurt for a whole lot cheaper. Let me know if you give this option a try.

Cost

I will provide the approximate cost for each recipe in the book, as well as the source of the products used. 

It cost about $6.98 to make 4 cups of Michael Symon's Tzatziki Sauce.

Fage Greek Yogurt - $3.98 (Nature's Bin)
Cucumber - $1 (Westside Market)
Lemons - $1 (Westside Market)
Misc (Salt, mint, garlic, shallot, fresh ground black pepper) - $1

All miscellaneous ingredients came from Heinen's.

Nutritional information

I am not a nutrition expert but I will provide some information about the key ingredient of each dish.

Greek style yogurt is thicker and creamier with a higher fat content than typical yogurts found in the U.S. Typical fat content of the Greek cow's milk yogurt is 9% as opposed the U.S. yogurts are less than 4% fat. Fage Total, which I used, is 100% natural and vegetarian friendly. It contains no added sweeteners, thickeners or preservatives and all the farmers pledge not to use rBGH. It is made of just raw milk, raw cream and live active cultures. Finally, yogurt promotes intestinal and vaginal health, improves lactose intolerance, builds stronger bones, enhances immunity, lowers blood pressure, and may even have anticancer and weight-loss effects.