yogurt

[libitina]

So I was going to make tzatziki sauce to go with some chicken I was making for a social gathering, but then I cleaned my apartment instead.

So I have a quart of plain non-fat yogurt that I drained to make Greek-style yogurt... and no inspiration for what to do with it. A whole quart of it - all for me. That's a lot of dairy.

Other miscellaneous things I have in my fridge for it to go with:

• leftover cooked rice - both brown and white
• roasted garlic
• lime
• liquid from reconstituting mushrooms
• pan juices from cooked chicken (what? I try not to waste - even if I am dieting-ish and the juices are mostly fat)
• broccoli
• a lot of salad greens - liek whoah
• tortillas
• harissa
• a ton of random condiments from many cuisines
• an acorn squash
• new potatoes

Comments

[jenett]

My current tzatziki sauce recipe is yogurt, garlic, cucumbers, and a little lemon or lime juice - so it seems like you could do that without the cucumber and it'd still have some goodness. (I also often throw in minced dried onions, but that's me, and not especially traditional.)

If it were me, I think I'd mix it with garlic, a few suitable herbs if handy (dill? tarragon? parsley?) and a bit of the lime juice. I'd put a bit of the chicken drippings in with the rice, stir a bit, and then stir the yogurt in. The same thing over the new potatoes (roasted?) would also be yummy to me: I really like the contrast between the creamy yogurt and the either the toothiness of the rice, or the crispness of roasted veggies. Or you could put it over the broccoli. Or some combination of those three.

[libitina]

Huh - yeah, that'd be pretty easy. I've been thinking of the rice as about-to-be-fried-rice (so not very dairy-ish), but that would also be tasty.

[magycmyste]

My tzatziki recipe is pretty much the same as the one above, and I like it lots. ^_^

But in case you want other ideas....

I'm Indian, so I'm used to eating plain yogurt with rice, and a vegetable curry/side dish (preferably something spicy) to go with it, as pretty much the end of any Indian meal. I've never tried harissa (been meaning to, but haven't gotten to it yet), but I believe it's spicy (not sure what other flavors it has)?

So, out of what you've listed, I would probably dice up the acorn squash (or other vegetable - I don't actually use squash that often), saute it in a pan along with the lime juice (maybe use a bit of the fat from the pan juices to saute?), and something spicy (harissa, one of the other condiments, ground red pepper, etc) to make a dry curry, and et that on the side with the yogurt rice.

(Again, this is coming from someone who makes yogurt at home, and is used to eating it very, very often. I can eat it with just about anything, so for me it's usually more about the "side dish" than the yogurt rice itself.)

[yarngeek]

My favorite treatment for yogurt, Greek or otherwise, is jam or gingersnaps. The gingersnaps start to get soggy and fall apart and the texture is *awesome*.

In the interest of full disclosure, I can go through a quart of yogurt in about a day.

[damned_colonial]

I would make a sort of vaguely North African tagine out of the squash, potatoes, chicken juice, and harissa. If it were me, I'd also add a can of chickpeas, because that's the way I roll, and some spices like cumin and cinnamon. Oh and an onion.

Let me break it down:

Saute a diced onion in a little chicken fat. Add diced squash, potatoes, chickpeas, spices, harissa, and whatever non-fat parts of the chicken drippings you have. You'll also want some extra liquid... at minimum, some water, or perhaps some canned tomato puree or some stock or a combination of them. Simmer on the stovetop til the squash and potatoes are soft enough.

I'd serve that over rice with a dollop of yoghurt, and a green salad on the side.

[libitina]

I have cans of chickpeas and frozen stewed tomatoes from last summer's garden!

I can make a tagine without a tagine? Do they let you call it that?

[damned_colonial]

Hee, I think so! I do mine in an enamel casserole dish and cook it in the oven, usually, but you can do it on the stovetop too. (Oven directions: 180C/350F for around 45 minutes, and use less liquid than you would on the stovetop.)

[redsnake05]

All these suggestions sound delicious. Mine feels very boring in comparison - new potato salad with yoghurt dressing. I don't like sour cream or mayonaise dressings with potatoes, so I just boil up some cubed potatoes, add some other veges chopped up for interest (like mushrooms, tiny broccoli florets or peas or whatever - I would totes add grated squash) just before they're cooked and then drain and leave to cool slightly. Dollop on yoghurt and your choice of additions - chopped garlic or onion, roasted garlic, mint, black pepper, capsicums (um, yellow, red or green bell peppers) and stir. I eat it slightly warm. I would probably layer it on top of some salad greens and just eat it like that.

[rydra_wong]

Greek-style yoghurt makes a gorgeous breakfast, if you sprinkle it with nuts (e.g. flaked almonds) and berries and/or a drizzle of good honey.

[pauamma]

Labneh. :-)