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For the tzatziki: Place the cucumber into a strainer or colander over a bowl and squeeze with your hands the shredded cucumber to release the liquid.
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When the liquid comes to a slow drip, set the strainer into a bowl and set the bowl in the refrigerator to continue to slowly drip for 30 minutes.
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Make sure the bottom of the strainer does not touch the bowl.
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(The purpose of straining the cucumber is important to retain the thick consistency of tzatziki sauce.
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You can either discard the cucumber liquid or reserve it to make a refreshing cucumber water drink.)
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Empty the yogurt into a medium bowl.
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Add the strained cucumber along with the garlic, dill, vinegar and oil into the bowl and gently mix with a whisk.
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When all the ingredients are equally distributed, your tzatziki sauce is ready.
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Season with salt and pepper, if using.
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(Sauce can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.)
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For the bifteki: In a medium bowl, add the ground beef, red onion and mint leaves.
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With your hands, work in all the ingredients until everything is equally distributed.
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Then add the crumbled cheese and mix, being careful not to overwork the mixture.
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You want the cheese to stay relatively chunky.
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Form into a loaf and cut into 6 equal pieces, about 5 ounces each.
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Form each piece into an oval-shaped meatball and then pat down to form an oval shaped patty.
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(Patties can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.)
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For the sandwich: Cook each patty on a hot charcoal grill or broiler for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until desired temperature is reached.
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(I like this patty cooked to medium, unlike my burgers that I prefer on the rare side.)
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Lightly toast the baguettes on the grill, if desired.
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Remove from the heat and then spread 1 tablespoon of tzatziki sauce on the top half of each baguette piece.
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When the patties are ready, remove from the heat and cut on a bias into 3 equal parts.
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Spread the cut pieces over the bottom half of the toasted baguette.
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Top the patty with sliced tomatoes and sliced red onions.
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Sprinkle some salt and pepper and Spanish smoked paprika, if using.
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Press both sides of the baguette together and enjoy.
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This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant.
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The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
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Cook's Notes:
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Use yogurt with full fat content, don't deprive yourself of flavor by using 2-percent or fat-free yogurt.
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If Greek yogurt is not available, you can substitute with any yogurt providing that you strain it.
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To strain the yogurt follow these simple steps:
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Empty a 1 liter container of any plain, full fat yogurt into the center of some cheesecloth.
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Then place the 4 ends of the cloth together and twist.
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Keep twisting the ends so that you can squeeze the whey (liquid) out of the yogurt and into a bowl.
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Keep twisting and squeezing the yogurt until it comes to a slow drip.
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Knot the end of the twisted cheesecloth or tie it together with some twine.
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Place the cloth containing the yogurt in a strainer or a colander, and then place the strainer or colander over the bowl.
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Make sure it doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl so that the whey can continue to slowly drip.
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Now place the bowl in a refrigerator and allow it to drip for 3 to 4 hours.
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Remove from refrigerator and give it one more squeeze to strain out any stubborn liquid that may remain.
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Untie the cheesecloth and, with a spatula, place the desired amount of the now strained yogurt in a prep bowl.
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The strained yogurt should be at least as dense as sour cream.
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The remainder of the yogurt could be set aside for later use or just add some salt and herbs and you have homemade cream cheese.
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You can also reserve the whey to use for pickling (instead of vinegar), or for making anything from breads to beer.
