This recipe for Greek Tzatziki Sauce comes, thankfully, from a Greek woman. A saint of a Greek woman for sharing her wisdom with me. While on an extended trip to Greece, I was assigned to kitchen duty, which was just fine by me. I was paired with said Greek lady, it's terrible, I cannot for the life of me tell you her name. We were in charge of feeding our group everyday for the entirety of the trip. Actually, she was in charge, I was mearly her assistant... if you want to get really classy, you could even call me her sous chef.
Let's skip back to a bit before leaving for this trip. I was excited to go to Greece having never been there before, however one thing that I wasn't excited for was the food. I had it in my head that I didn't not like Greek food. I hated olives (a sin that I have now since corrected, I now eat and occasionally enjoy olives, depending on the preparation or the type, thanks to their force feeding at happy hour) and therefore all Greek food was disgusting. I am sure that everyone can deep down related to this on some level with the cuisine of some country.
Lesson learned here: Don't judge a book by its cover.
Anyway, I hated Greek food but I was going to Greece in spite of that and then upon arrival was immediately assigned to the kitchen. Fabulous.
And then it was dinnertime. So I was spared from the first meal preparation as we had arrived so late.. my task here was to eat.
I want to insert that I am not a terribly picky eater and I will try to try most anything once. (Had some trouble with fried veal brain earlier this year but got it down with some enjoyment. Thank you Chateaubriand.) I made my way through the line and before me was a bowl of what looked like tomatoes and feta, simple and edible enough, but there were these giant dark, brown things everywhere. That was throwing everyone off, no one was eating it! And then there was some chicken thing... with olives. Excellent.
I went big. Took everything. And oh my god. Wow, delicious and amazing are the words that come to mind! Those dark blocks in the tomato and feta salad were giant croutons soaked in olive oil from the (Greek) gods. Heaven. I have yet to be able to find this olive oil in the US for a piece that is less than an arm and a leg. Gonna have to make another trip to Greece to find it!
The chicken was like no other. So tender and the brine from the olives really brought it home, giving me a new appreciated for how brine and vinegars can really kick things up to the next level (case in point, Cuban Piccadillo).
Once I translated that the brown matter in the salad was actually bread, people began digging into that as well. (I have had similar experiences in France many a time with Americans being scared of the"mystery" ingredient only the have me try it and to relay that it in fact, is just cheese. But that's a story for another time.)
So the trip began, the cooking began, and let me just tell you, I was living the dream here. Authentic Greek cooking with an authentic Greek woman, in Greece, for a large group that I liked and enjoyed spending time with. Does it get any better?
So that was my first true introduction to Greek food and I am now hooked. I now love olives too!
And Greece, it is still my favorite place that I have ever been and I am not sure if it was the food or the company, but either way, it's amazing. Of the many things that I learned on that trip, this Greek Tzatziki Sauce recipe is one that I use the most often.
It goes with most anything, Greek or not, is super simple to make, requires ingredients that you probably have on hand and above all is delicious. Anytime I make it, people are always chasing me down for the recipe. In fact, I bring this sauce along with MarnaMaria Greek Oregano Chicken Skewers to parties, potlucks, showers, whatever and it's always a hit.
I hope you enjoy it. And it if you ever have the opportunity to go to Greece, I would jump on it!
📖 Recipe
Authentic Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Description
This Tzatziki recipe goes with most anything, Greek or not, is super simple to make, requires ingredients that you probably have on hand and above all is delicious. Anytime I make it, people are always chasing me down for the recipe. In fact, I bring this along with MarnaMaria Greek Oregano Chicken Skewers to parties, potlucks, showers, whatever and it's always a hit.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Greek yogurt (full fat if possible)
- ¼ cup cucumber, chopped (or more if you love cucumbers!)
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced (or more of this too if you love garlic! But be careful, raw garlic is strong!)
- ⅓ cup olive oil, or more (Greek olive oil if you can find it!)
- 1 tbsp. MarnaMaria Dill Weed
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine first three ingredients with a spoon.
- Gradually add olive oil until the mixture is shiny and is smooth not chalky to the taste. The amount of olive oil you will need depends on the fat content of your Greek yogurt. Generally, Greek yogurt has a really low fat content. That's why it has an almost dry or drying sensation when you eat it. (Just like tannins in red wine. That's why it's good to pair big reds with fatty dishes like steak, the fatty components in the steak enrobe the tanins to give you a smooth result, you want to do the same thing with the Greek yogurt and the olive oil in this recipe.)
- Add the Dill Weed and season to taste with the salt and lemon juice.
Leave a Reply