This recipe comes from
The All New All Purpose Joy Of Cooking, orginally. I have adapted it slightly.
Ingredients:
2 cups yogurt (natural flavour, as thick as you can get it-Balkan style is good)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed or pressed
2-3 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice
2 teaspoons dill (or to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Up to 24 hours ahead:
Line a fine mesh sieve or colander with coffee filters or cheesecloth (coffee filter s work great!). Place over a bowl. Put the yogurt in the sieve and allow to drain for up to 24 hours in the fridge, not more than 2 hours on the counter. You want the whey to drain off and the yogurt to firm up so it's like soft cream cheese (BTW, it makes a great substitute for spreadable cream cheese-just add any flavouring you want).
Toss the grated cucumber with the salt in a colander and let stand in the sink or over a bowl for 30 minutes to drain. Rinse it quickly and press the excess water out (you want the cucumber fairly dry).
Combine the yogurt, cucumbers and garlic in a bowl. Mix. Add everything else but the oil. Chill til serving time. Drizzle the oil over the top.
That's it. I usually do without the oil-I don't miss it. The original recipe calls for mint as well as dill. You can just dice the cucumber if you want chunky style instead.
Enjoy
!