Georgiana's Tzatziki Dip

Lee and Athena have two beautiful daughters, Georgiana and
Nassy, who is currently in New Zealand,
so we missed seeing her at dinner.

One of Georgiana's favorite foods are her mother's home made grape leaves. I must confess, I was never a big fan of the grape leaves that I've eaten at restaurants, but the grape leaves that Athena made were unbelievable. They were soft, and filled with a wonderful rice mixture. They melted in your mouth.

Georgiana testing out the grape leaves

Georgiana informed me that to really appreciate the grape leaves, you have to eat them with the tzatziki dip. Georgiana made the dip for her mother's grape leaves before I got there, but she has graciously shared the recipe with the readers of the blog, so here it is:

Georgiana's Tzatziki Dip
Georgiana Avramidis

1 (32 ounce) container of plain yogurt
1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped, or you can shred it if you prefer
1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed in a garlic press, or finely minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

Note: Georgiana said if you shred the cucumber, squeeze it dry!

Place the yogurt in some cheesecloth and let it drain into a container for 2-3 hours at least, or overnight. Transfer the thickened yogurt into a bowl. Add the chopped or shredded cucumber, crushed garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and dill. Adjust seasonings to taste. The fresh dill kicks it up a notch. Served chilled as an accompaniment to the grape leaves or as a dip by itself.

Note: The cheesecloth should be more than one layer thick, and you can set it in a strainer over a bowl to catch the liquid.