Flipping through the food folds of memory, I came across an old friend. Back when I was in college at the University of Minnesota, I met a Greek woman who was working on her PhD in physics. Following the custom of international friends in my family, I invited her to spend Christmas with us. We shared the Minnesota culinary custom of eating Wild Rice Casserole for Christmas dinner, and she taught us to eat Tzatziki and drink Ouzo. We eventually lost touch with each other, but her friendship is still alive in this light, refreshing and very versatile sauce. I love to serve this with warmed pita bread as a simple appetizer, it can be used to top spicy Indian dishes like a chutney, and is great as a light salad dressing.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 medium English cucumber peeled
Pinch kosher salt
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves
Directions: Peel cucumber and chop into 1-inch pieces. Put all ingredients in food processor and zing.
Vegetarian Perspective 