Cucumber dill yogurt with ranch vibes
The Story
What is it with the United State’s obsession with ranch dressing? So much so that it doesn’t take much to identify a Hidden Valley ranch seasoning packet or bottled salad dressing. Although you may be able to find it in other countries (sometimes I’ve been able to find it at American product stores in Barcelona like Taste of America) it is truly a North American invention. I mean where else can you enjoy a dressing whose base is buttermilk and mayonnaise?
In line with my North American routes, I can’t deny that I love ranch dressing. My love doesn’t go as far as some who without fail order it at every pizza place, dunking their crust in it, but a good ranch dressing on a salad or to dip a French fry is super satisfying.
My version takes some of the seasonings characteristic of ranch dressing (dried dill, granulated onion, and garlic powder) but swaps out the classic mayo or sour cream and buttermilk base for yogurt. Because even though I absolutely love mayo, I’m always looking for a healthier alternative. And since I was already on the yogurt route, I brought in the cucumber (because why not sneak a vegetable in there) from tzatziki and added some fresh dill and mint to make something a little different.
Serve alongside pita bread/chips (I’m a huge fan of Stacy’s Pita Chips when I’m in the U.S.), your favorite crunchy chip, or crudité as a great dip or halve the quantities and use it as a sauce for meat or roasted vegetables.
This ranchy cucumber dill yogurt gets even better a day or two after you make it, so it lends itself really well as a make-ahead…just stir it up and add a final glug of olive oil to serve.
Difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1-5
Active time to prepare: 5 minutes
Total time to prepare: 20 minutes (including inactive cucumber resting time)
Serves: 4 -6
The Ingredients
2 cups/500 g Greek yogurt
2 English cucumbers
1 tsp/2 g + 1 1/2 tsp/3 g salt
1/4 cup/54 g olive oil
2 tsp/4 g granulated onion
1 tsp/2 g garlic powder
1 tsp/2 g dried dill
1/2 cup/28 g chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup/28 g chopped fresh mint
cracked pepper
Drizzle of olive oil (or get whimsical with it and use a flavored oil like chili oil, garlic oil, parsley oil, etc.) to finish
The Recipe
For the cucumber yogurt:
Remove both ends of the cucumber. Cut in half, rotate 90°, and cut in half again.
Cut each spear of cucumber on a bias in the center, removing the seeds.
Grate the zucchini in the largest hole of a box grater.
Add the zucchini to a colander placed inside of a bowl. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, mix, and let sit for 15 minutes.
Lightly squeeze any excess water from the cucumber and add it to a separate bowl.
Add the yogurt, olive oil, granulated onion, garlic powder, dried dill, fresh dill and mint, and cracked pepper to taste.
Mix and chill until ready to serve.
Finish with a drizzle of olive oil on top.
*NOTE: This yogurt is great as a dip, but you can also serve it alongside vegetables or meat/chicken dishes like my pan-roasted chicken thighs.
DO AHEAD: Like I said in the intro, this dip gets better with a day or two in the fridge.
LEFTOVERS: The prepared dip will be okay in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 days.
