Tzatziki

So I found this wonderful jewish cooking book in the park one evening when Kenton and I went for a walk and it has been so fun to understand its ingredients and how it works. Also to understand more about Asquenazi jews, or Ashkenazi which are basically european jews from France all the way to Poland and Hungary and Russia! Did you know that Ashkenaz is one of the names of the descendants of Noah in Genesis 10:3?

So I found this recipe of Tzatziki which looked delicious and had no idea what it is, but have realized that it is a classic in jewish and greek cooking. This recipe is kinda elaborate, because you need creme fraiche, so either you buy it or you make it the day before, it is a very impressive cream you all, like any french food. But I have found othe recipes that simply call for greek yoghurt and that seems pretty good to me, but anyway here is the one from this book.

INGREDIENTS:

-1 big cucumber.
-a pinch of salt.

-a tablespoon of minced dill.

-a tablespoon of minced mint.

-150 grams of solid fresh cheese (Burgos type).

-150 of creme fraiche.

-a pinch of black pepper. 

STEPS: 

1. Peel and grate the cucumber with a thick grater. 

2. Then add a little salt and squeeze it with your hands until the water comes out. Put it on a drain and let it soak the water. Amazing how much water a cucumber has.

3. Now chope the spices in a bowl, with the pepper and add the cheeses and mix well.

4. Now add the cucumber and the party has started!

Real good. Again, you can simplify this recipe but using greek yoghurt instead of the creme fraiche and queso fresco. 

The photo below is someone coming towards the wailing wall....the temple was right behind that wall..in Temple Mount, where Jesus will come back to! my dad said he cried when he saw it for the first time, and this picture captures that amazement too of someone handicapped helped to get there to see it and praise God. The other photo is my jewish look in Jerusalem.