Time: 30 to 40 minutes, partially unattended
1 pound cucumbers, peeled if desired, seeded, and roughly chopped
Salt
2 cups whole-milk Greek yogurt
Juice of 3 lemons
½ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
Black pepper
Salt
2 cups whole-milk Greek yogurt
Juice of 3 lemons
½ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
Black pepper
1. Put the chopped cucumbers in a large colander and toss with a large pinch of salt. Put the colander in the sink and let the cucumbers sit for 20 minutes, then gently pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Put the cucumbers, yogurt, lemon juice, dill, olive oil, and garlic in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Notes:
Unless you can find seedless cucumbers, you must remove the seeds.
Then, you must salt the cucumbers to draw out as much liquid as possible. If you skip this step, a puddle of near-flavorless liquid will form quickly at the bottom of your salad bowl, your dip or soup will separate like curdled mayonnaise. Salting cucumbers requires only 20 minutes or so and virtually no effort: You just put them in a colander or strainer, toss them with a big pinch of salt or two, and let osmosis do its thing.
