Recipe: Tapenade and Tzatziki

I was very happy with the tapenade and would defiantly make this again. However, the tzatziki was a little to thin. It was still good, but I would have preferred the texture to be a little thicker. Trader Joe's has an awesome tzatziki, so I never felt inspired to make it, but this is cooking club and we all try to do something different. Here are the recipes. For the tzatziki, I think draining some of the water from the yogurt would have helped. I tried to get as much water out of the cucumbers as I could, as the recipe instructed. I may try it again, but probably just keep getting the Trader Joe's version.
Artichoke Tapenade

-1 14-ounce can artichoke bottoms, drained and rinsed well
-3 tablespoon green olives
-5 tablespoons kalamata olives
-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
-2 tablespoons fresh parsley
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put all ingredients except lemon juice into food processor. Process, stopping to scrape down sides a couple of times, until everything is finely chopped. Taste and add lemon or lime juice, if needed. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend for at least an hour before serving. (It's even better if you let it rest overnight and bring to room temperature before eating.)

Tzatziki

(Makes about 3 1/2 cups. You can cut the recipe in half)

-3 cups Greek Yogurt
-juice of one lemon (about 3 T)

-1 garlic clove, chopped
-2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
-about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
-1 T finely chopped fresh dill
-Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.