Tzatziki

My favorite magazines are home decorating and cooking, where I get most of my recipes. Also, I like to test recipes from famous chefs, this time, I tried Tzatziki from executive chef Jim Botsacos, of Molyvos, a greek restaurant in New York City, whose recipe was also featured in the September 2004 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

Tzatziki

1 large English cucumber (seedless), peeled
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups Mediterranean-style yogurt (greek yogurt or may substitute with strained conventional yogurt, method follows)
1 tbsp. mint, chopped
1 tbsp. dill, chopped
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Grate cucumbers into a mixing bowl using the medium-sized holes on a box grater. Combine with a pinch of salt, and transfer to a colander lined with cheesecloth. Place colander over a bowl, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. With hand, squeeze and drain the juices.

Transfer cucumber to a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with pita bread cut into points.

In place of greek yogurt, prepare your own, using plain yogurt:
Start with 4 cups to yield 2 cups for this recipe. Put the yogurt in cheesecloth-lined sieve over a deep bowl. Let it drain overnight. Discard the liquid and use the strained yogurt as directed.

Note: the bowl should support the strainer so it does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

I used 2 cups of honey-flavored yogurt to make 1 cup and the recipe tasted great!