Greek Week – Greek yogurt tzatziki

Photo © Wolfgang Staudt, published under Creative Commons License.

The first time I ate Greek yogurt, I was having breakfast at a taverna much like the one pictured above. The yogurt was so thick and rich I thought they’d served me sour cream by mistake.

If you’ve ever had Greek yogurt, you won’t forget its taste or texture. However, it’s not that common here, so many people have never heard of it, let alone tried it. I can understand if yesterday’s recipe for herbed soup left you thinking I’d taken the whole Greek thing a tad too far. So when Lisa, who knows her way around a kitchen, asked what Greek yogurt was, I figured I should explain.

Greek yogurt is thicker, creamier and usually higher in butterfat than standard supermarket yogurt. The consistency is mid-way between softened cream cheese and sour cream. It can be made with either sheep’s milk or cows’ milk, but either way, it’s a distinct ingredient, quite unlike anything else. If you substitute ordinary-schmordinary plain yogurt the results will be runny.

If you can’t find Greek yogurt in a specialty shop, Zehrs carries a Mediterranean yogurt which is as close as damn is to swearing. Astro’s Balkan yogurt will do in a pinch, but is still a bit too thin to substitute directly. If you can’t find Greek yogurt, you can always strain plain, standard yogurt and use that instead.

“And just how do you strain yogurt?” you ask. I’m ahead of you…

Most cookbooks will tell you to line a sieve with several layers of cheesecloth. Come on. Who keeps cheesecloth on hand? Not me, and I’m willing to roast coffee beans and age whisky myself, so I’m guessing it’s not sitting in your pantry either. However, most people have plenty of coffee filters. I line a small sieve with two or three basket-style coffee filters. (You can use cone filters in a cone basket, too.) Place the straining device over a bowl, fill with yogurt and wait for the moisture to drain.

If you leave the straining yogurt on the counter, it will take a couple of hours. This isn’t a good idea in hot weather or if you have yogurt-crazy cats. The alternative is to cover the strainer with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, the yogurt will be reduced by about half and the excess liquid will have collected in the bowl. Toss the liquid. Opa! You now have makeshift Greek yogurt.

To inspire you, here is a simple recipe for tzatziki. I’ve omitted the standard olive oil, upped the amount of cucumber and drastically reduced the garlic component.

Tzatziki photo © Charmian Christie

Tzatziki for Wimps
Printable recipe
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Most restaurant tzatziki has enough garlic to knock over a horse. To me, this yogurt spread should enhance the meal, not run over it like a steam roller. This milder, gentler version will leave you more socially acceptable and give the other menu items a fighting chance.

Ingredients

• 1 500 ml tub of plain yogurt, drained (or 250 ml Greek yogurt)
• 6-inch piece of English cucumber, grated and drained thoroughly
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed (some recipes call for up to 6 cloves, whoa Nellie!)
• salt
• fresh ground pepper

Instructions

1. If using standard yogurt, drain overnight in the fridge in a sieve lined with coffee filters.
2. Grate cucumber. Place in a sieve and gently squeeze out excess water with a large spoon.
3. Combine yogurt and cucumber.
4. Stir in garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Refrigerate at least a couple of hours to let flavours blend. I think it’s best the next day.

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Copyright 2008 Charmian Christie