Yogurt and Cucumber Salad

Name: Yogurt and Cucumber Salad (Tarator)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Sephardic
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or mint, or a mixture; salt for sprinkling, plus 1 teaspoon; 5 or 6 cloves garlic, green sprouts removed and finely minced; 1 large or 2 small cucumbers; 2 to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar; ⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; pita bread, cut into quarters if large, halves if small, and warmed; 2 cups plain yogurt

Tarator

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Appears in

Sephardic Flavors

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2000

About

Recipe names can be confusing. Cooks acquainted with the Arabic table know tarator as a tahini-thickened nut sauce. Cooks familiar with Greek and Turkish cuisines see this salad as a cousin to tzatziki and cacik, with the addition of chopped walnut

Ingredients

2 cups plain yogurt
1 large or 2 small cucumbers<

Starter
Vegetarian

Method

Spoon the yogurt into a sieve placed over a bowl and place in the refrigerator to drain for 4 hours.

Peel and seed the cucumber(s). If using the large cucumber, grate it; if using the small cucumbers, cut into tiny dice. Place the grated or diced cucumber in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Allow to drain for 30 minutes, then squeeze dry in a kitchen towel. Refrigerate until needed.</