I'm not sure when my fascination with the Greeks began. Maybe it was the Windex-loving dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" who finds a way to trace the roots of the word "kimono" back to the Greek language or maybe the first time I heard the song "Zero to Hero" from the movie "Hercules" (I dare you to see that movie and not have that song stuck in your head for weeks) or maybe, just maybe, it was all those hours I spent (OK, spend) drooling in front of the TV over Uncle Jesse in "Full House." Either way, the strangest part of all of this is that for the longest time, among the many reasons for my infatuation with Greece, food wasn't one of them. It's not that I didn't like the food I just had no idea what it consisted of. I guess my thought was always that food couldn't be that important to them since they derive entertainment by breaking the very receptacles that one uses to eat food (that means plates, for those of you who are reading this semi-deliriously in Collis while scarfing down an egg-and-cheese sandwich before early morning drill). But a few years and several too many slices of spanakopita later, I'm telling you I was ready to name my first child Stavros. So naturally, I've been eyeing the Greek yogurt at Home Plate for a long time now, trying to figure out how to incorporate my sunkissed, feta-loving homeboys into the DDS Detective. This week's recipe, then, is my own twist on a savory Greek yogurt dip called "Tzatziki" I call it "Tzatziki Chicken Salad."
1.At Pavilion/Home Plate, get a half serving of chicken and ask them to put cucumber on top.2.Put 2-3 ladles of yogurt into a bowl and stir in a little olive oil to the mix.3.After the checkout line, add the chicken to the yogurt and squeeze the juice of about three lemon slices into the bowl.4.Add a few shakes of salt and pepper.5.Enjoy with pita slices or those great multi-grain chips next to the entree line.
So maybe you missed out on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in theaters, were more of an Aladdin person, or you simply preferred Uncle Joey's quirky sense of humor, but you can always count on this delicious Greek dish to fill you up any time of the day. Bonus points if you smash a plate and yell, "Opa!" while waiting in the Home Plate checkout line.
