518310 Mon May 12 09:52:43 -0700 2008 22 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 3679074 Because I am insane as seen in this thread: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/518118 I cooked a five pound boneless leg of lamb yesterday -- for one person. One of the suggestions for leftovers that I got was to do some souvlaki with some pita and tzatziki. But my tzatziki making skills are in a word pathetic. Is there some place in the Baltimore area that I can buy pre-made tzatziki that's good? Bonus points if they have good pita as well. I can manage slicing the onion on my own, so I don't need help with that, thank god. Mon May 12 09:52:45 -0700 2008 11273 JonParker 1 3679509 The best I've had out is at Meze, but I don't know if they would sell it to go. Buy an 8 oz. container of Total Greek yogurt at Whole Foods along with an English cucumber and some garlic. Dump yogurt in bowl. Cut cuke in half lengthwise. Skin. Remove seeds. Mince cuke. Fill empty yogurt container with minced cuke. Throw it into the bowl with yogurt. Finally chop 1/2 of a large garlic clove and add to bowl. Sprinkle with good sea salt. Mix thoroughly. Nirvana. Mon May 12 11:18:34 -0700 2008 3679074 12059 ko1 2 3679569 I think I remember seeing Total Greek Yogurt tzatziki at Trader Joes. I have had the TJs brand tzatziki and it wasn't bad, it had cucumber slices in it that were too big. Mon May 12 11:35:01 -0700 2008 3679509 12234 hon 3 3679895 I've also had the TJ version. While not stellar, it'll meet our needs. You can also get carryout tzattziki from Zorba's or Samos. I'll bet that Ulyssus at Souvalki Place will sell it to you to go, too. Mon May 12 12:51:15 -0700 2008 3679569 54408 baltoellen 2 3681089 Excellent recipe. I like to grate the cuke rather than mince it. Mon May 12 18:59:42 -0700 2008 3679509 15018 elgringoviejo 2 3689501 I've never made tzatziki, but that recipe sounds very much like my raita recipe, minus the cumin and cayenne. Raita might make a tasty (albeit spicier) substitute if it's more easily available in Jon's neighborhood. Thu May 15 07:58:08 -0700 2008 3679509 11669 Hal Laurent 1 3679900 Prima Foods on Kane ave off Eastern by 95. Greek wholesaler but they have a market that is open to the public. Mon May 12 12:52:32 -0700 2008 3679074 136169 carey24 1 3681252 I'm certainly no expert, but I've found the tzatziki sauce from Costco to be pretty good. Some Greek friends of mine recommended it, so that was good enough for me... Mon May 12 20:06:14 -0700 2008 3679074 176868 steinre1 2 3683445 If you make it, don't forget to add a little bit of olive oil and dill. But I have cheated before and used the one from Costco. I believe it's called Hannah's?? Tue May 13 12:47:43 -0700 2008 3681252 191924 foodventure08 3 3683630 How big a container does it come in? I don't need to get into a death spiral where I'm buying more lamb legs to use up the tzatziki and more tzatziki to eat up the lamb. I bought some at Wegman's, so we'll see how that goes. I also got some feta and olives and pita. Making it has never worked out for me. Maybe I need to ask for advice on Home Cooking. Tue May 13 13:39:08 -0700 2008 3683445 11273 JonParker 4 3684517 I think you could have followed my recipe successfully. Tue May 13 18:14:13 -0700 2008 3683630 12059 ko1 5 3684589 Your recipe was spot on, and one can make a batch of tzatziki in about ten minutes. Tue May 13 18:41:00 -0700 2008 3684517 15018 elgringoviejo 4 3689444 I drain the yogurt in cheesecloth before making tzatziki otherwise it becomes watery. Thu May 15 07:45:42 -0700 2008 3683630 12234 hon 5 3689469 You're absolutely right. I use Total because a) it is extremely tasty, and b) Greek yogurt is already drained. I use the English cucumbers because they hold less moisture than the regular cucumbers, making for a thicker dish. Thu May 15 07:51:05 -0700 2008 3689444 12059 ko1 6 3689565 all this talk makes me want a souvlaki on a pita! Thu May 15 08:11:50 -0700 2008 3689469 12234 hon 7 3689649 I still have lamb left! Thu May 15 08:26:31 -0700 2008 3689565 11273 JonParker 8 3691917 Yummy! Thu May 15 17:49:53 -0700 2008 3689649 12234 hon 6 3689716 All these tzatziki making tips are great, but they should be on the Home Cooking board so more hounds can share in the info. We can't easily split the posts out from here (since they're spread out in the thread), but we're asking that anyone who wants to continue the make your own tzatziki discussion start a thread on Home Cooking. http://www.chowhound.com/boards/31 Thu May 15 08:43:22 -0700 2008 3689469 2 The Chowhound Team 7 3694422 I started a thread on home cooking about making tzatziki, which I intend to try again next time. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/519856 Fri May 16 13:27:36 -0700 2008 3689716 11273 JonParker 3 3683647 Yes, it's Hannah's from Costco and it's great. And no worries on the leftovers--it goes wonderfully with pita chips (I prefer Stacy's brand), or makes a good dip for carrots and cucumbers. Tue May 13 13:42:24 -0700 2008 3683445 87194 KWynn 1 3688808 I find Ikaros tzatziki to be the best by far and you can carry out from there. I can't seem to replicate it (or their eggplant salad) at home no matter how much I try. There's has a very creamy consistency. A block west from Ikaros on Eastern Ave is a Greek bakery, and they usually have commercial tzatziki (along with fresh bread, feta, and olives.) I find that most of the store-bought tzatzikis contain "undesirable" ingredients. Wed May 14 23:11:17 -0700 2008 3679074 107374 bmorecupcake 2 3689426 I like Ikaros' tzatziki, but I prefer Never on Sunday in Mt. Vernon. Of course, I am sweet on the counter guy there because he asked me if I was Greek based on my pronunciation of tzatziki. I've made it at home, and it was tasty, but don't feel bad about buying it either. Tzatziki is like salsa -- sometimes you want the fun of making it yourself, and other times you just want to buy a goddamn condiment and move on with your day. Tzatziki tzatziki tzatziki. It looks less like a real word every time I see it. Thu May 15 07:41:43 -0700 2008 3688808 70560 pomme de terre 1 3698322 We got catering from Samos for my birthday party and their tzatziki was pretty amazing. Best I remember it was either $12 or $15 (I think the tzatziki was $12, and the hummus, tapenade, etc. was $15). It was a sizable container, one of the round restaurant leftover containers, if I remember correctly. Best of all, you get to enjoy Samos without having to stand for hours waiting for a table. I've had the Total Greek Tzatziki they sell at TJ's, and it's not bad, but not as good as Samos. Sun May 18 10:07:16 -0700 2008 3679074 116701 locustpointgirl