Tzatziki a la Russian River Vineyards

Prep:2minCook:2min

Growing up in Northern California we went to the same restaurant every year for my birthday. And every year I'd order the same things. We'd always start with housemade bread and Tzatziki. You will never find a store bought version that comes close to this and honestly, I've had others I liked but none as good as this. The Chef, Richard K Engel made a cookbook (c 1987) but because it isn't readily available I figured I had to let this recipe be immortalized on the interweb. From the cookbook: "This very simple concotion is used as a dip for bread. Being very low in salt and fat it makes an excellent alternative for butter. It can also be used as a sauce with any lamb dish. Christine says: "Tell them to try it with rice"." YIELDS 1 1/2 CUPS

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 03:39:38 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Good

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories183.5 kcal (9%)

Total Fat8.2 g (12%)

Carbs19.3 g (7%)

Sugars14.6 g (16%)

Protein9.8 g (20%)

Sodium116.4 mg (6%)

Fiber1 g (4%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

1 servings

1cucmber

medium

1 cplain yogurt

1 tspminced garlic

white pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scoop and scrape the seeds out. What you end up with looks like a pair of dugout canoes.

Step 2

Grate the cucumber or use a food-processor to chop it very finely. (grate it, it's the best) Put in a sieve and squeeze vigorously to remove all the water. You could also put the cucumber in a towel and wring out the juice.

Step 3

Combine cucumber meat, yogurt, and the garlic in a bowl. Add white pepper and more garlic to taste.

Step 4

Me again - Don't be afraid to add salt if you want. I do salt mine because I like the way it brightens everything but you can leave it as the recipe is written and it's still very tasty.