Greek Allure

When my aunt wanted to marry Dr. Evangelos M., my stiff and stern maternal grandmother was not very pleased that her daughter had fallen in love with a foreigner, a Greek. So they eloped to Athens instead. But my grandmother came around, and Evan, as everyone calls him, visited her often, trudging around her apartment in her slippers (he has very small feet).

I had no such reservations about him, as Evan was the coolest uncle anyone could want. He drove up in his Renault R4 wearing dark glasses, greeting us with his melodic accent. He was young, energetic, different, and best of all, he genuinely liked hanging out with his new German family. We'd go sledding in winter and he'd scream with delight when some snow got into his pants, yet he would never wear long underwear like my father or other uncles. We went on many fun outings, did handicrafts together and one day, he even brought a 33 record with popular Greek music and taught us enthusiastically how to dance to the Zorba-the-Greek tune.

Evan also introduced us to Greek food, which at that time was still an anomaly in Germany. His snowy-white Tzatziki with pale green flecks was undoubtedly geared towards our weak and inexperienced taste buds. It's slightly but pleasantly tangy since the recipe mixes mild and creamy quark, a German-style Fromage frais with just enough yoghurt. It explodes with the flavors of sweet and melon-y tasting cucumbers and a little pungent, freshly crushed garlic. Stirring in fruity Greek olive oil and a dash of mildly acidic white wine vinegar gives it the needed complexity.

Evan is now retired and lives with my aunt in a small German town close to the Czech border. He has always been a Wagner buff and when we Skype, he fills me in on all the operas he has recently attended. He is still a very cool uncle.

Tzaitsiki

Serves 6–8

8 oz cottage cheese

4–6 oz plain Greek yoghurt

3–4 Persian cucumbers
or 3/4–1 English cucumber, peeled

2–3 small garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Sea salt to taste

Cottage cheese is a perfectly acceptable substitute for Quark, but should be whirled in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the Greek yoghurt until well combined and creamy. Grate the peeled cucumbers in a separate bowl and squeeze them hard to get out all the excess liquid. Fold grated cucumber into the cottage cheese/yogurt mixture and add the crushed garlic. Mix in olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with sea salt.

Tzaitsiki is a worthy accompaniment to all sorts of grilled meats or chicken and best enjoyed sopping up with crusty French bread or soft chewy pita bread.