D is for Dinner: Greek yogurt

When it comes to the dairy section of grocery stores, Greek yogurt has become a hot commodity. One business article we read recently says the greek variety makes up a quarter of all yogurt sales in the United States, a recent Ottawa Citizen story calls it the "next superfood", and Ben & Jerry's has even hopped on the bandwagon and introduced a line of frozen Greek yogurt.

But Anna Papadopoulos isn't buying into the trend -- she's been eating Greek yogurt all her life. Anna co-owns the Nutty Greek Bake Shop with her family, which just opened its doors in Little Italy a couple of weeks ago. Here's Anna's recipe for Greek yogurt.

3 Bags of Homo Milk 3%
1/2 L of table Cream
1 cup of Balkan Yogurt (With active bacterial cultures)

1. In a large pot, over medium heat, bring milk and cream to a boil, slowly stirring the milk to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
2. Once milk has boiled, you must take it off the heat and allow the milk to cool down...

3. Milk should still be warm for the next step... To ensure you have the right temp you must dip your finger into the milk and be able to hold it in there for 20 seconds...
4. Now that it's the right temp...  take 1 cup of the warm milk and mix in your 1 cup of Balkan Yogurt... Once that is complete slowly add to the lukewarm mixture, carefully pouring down the side so that any skin that may have formed on top is not disturbed.
5.Cover with a clean dishtowel and place on another towel in a warm, dry place for at least 8 hours (or overnight) until it thickens.

(Note: 8 to 12 hours is best. The longer the yogurt coagulates beyond that time, the more sour the taste becomes.)

6.Carefully drain any excess liquid.

7.Refrigerate for 4 hours before using.

8.Store in the refrigerator and use within 4-5 days.

9.Don't forget to save a small amount to make the next batch!

Variation:
Nutty Greek Tzatziki

4 cup of thick Greek Yogurt
1/2 English cucumber
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon dry dill

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
pinch of salt

1.  Shred your cucumber with a cheese grater.... once complete squeeze out water from cucumber
2. Add your minced garlic, cucumbers,salt, dill, oil and vinegar into a bowl

Now sometimes you will need to tweak the taste....   don't be scared to add more dill, garlic!