Cacik with mint

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 cucumber(s)
• 250 g yogurt (cream yogurt), Greek or Turkish
• 5 garlic cloves
• some olive oil
• some salt
• 1 tsp mint (Nana mint), dried
• 1 sprig(s) mint, fresh

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Yogurt – preparation with cucumber and garlic

Peel the cucumber, slice it open, and remove the seeds. Then finely grate it (or puree the cucumber flesh in a blender). Mix the cucumber puree with a little salt and place it in a sieve. Cover with a plate and place it over a bowl. Let it drain for at least an hour (or overnight). Tip: You can also weigh the plate down to speed up the draining process. Peel the garlic cloves and press them through a press. Mix the crushed garlic with the drained cucumber and stir in the yogurt. Season to taste. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place the dried mint in a small tea strainer and rub it in with a spoon to create a very fine mint powder. Sprinkle this powder all over the cacik – it serves as both a spice and a decoration. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and refrigerate until ready to serve.