Jajik with Greens -- Southeastern Turkey

A common dressing -- served with many types of meals from the eastern Mediterranean through India -- is made from yogurt mixed with various vegetables, garlic and herbs.  Called 'tzatziki' in Greece and 'raita' in India, it is termed 'jajik' in Turkey.  In this recipe -- modified from one collected by Paula Wolfert from southeastern Turkey -- we are adding chopped, cooked greens as well as garlic and other seasonings to the yogurt.  It makes a wonderful accompaniment to the greens-stuffed bread of the previous entry.  Makes at least 4 servings

2 ounces stemmed arugula, wild mustard greens, or kale
3 ounces stemmed Swiss Chard
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
32 oz plain yogurt, drained for at least 4 hours to remove excess water
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Wash greens and let drain.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, add in 1 teaspoon salt and the arugula/mustard/kale greens, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add in chard, and continue cooking another 5 minutes.  Drain greens, squeeze out the excess water, and finely chop.  You should have about ½ cup of cooked greens. 

Warm olive oil in a skillet, and stir in red pepper flakes.  Allow to gently simmer for about a minute, remove from heat, and strain out the pepper flakes, leaving behind the bright-red oil.

Place drained yogurt in a bowl and thoroughly mix in the garlic and oregano.  Fold in the cooked greens, and dress with the infused olive oil.  Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving. 

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