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Draining the yogurt removes much of the liquid and produces an end product about the consistency of thick sour cream. To drain the yogurt, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth (or in a pinch, several large coffee filters) Pour the yogurt into the colander and place it in a large bowl or in the sink for an hour or two. this should produce about 2 cups of thick yogurt.
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Peel the piece of cucumber and remove the seeds and pulp at the center with a teaspoon, then dice the outside flesh of the cucumber into small cubes of ⅛ inch or less.
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Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over the diced cucumber and toss together well. Let this rest for about a half hour, stirring occasionally. This process removes some of the liquid from the cucumber so that it will not water down the consistency of your finished tzatziki.
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Drain all of the liquid off the diced cucumber before adding it to the drained yogurt along with the dried oregano, garlic, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Mix well, cover and store in the fridge for at least a half hour before serving. I often make the tzatziki a day ahead to let the flavours develop.