Greek culture: Creamy and tangy, yogurt’s thicker sibling enhances your cooking

Greek yogurt’s appeal is easy to understand. It’s deliciously thick and creamy, it plays well in recipes, its ingredient list is simple (milk plus live cultures) and its tartness dovetails with our fondness for fermented foods (pickles, beer, etc.).

“There’s been a lot of marketing with the Greek yogurts. And people like the thick texture of the Greek variety,” says registered dietitian Sarah Krieger, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson. “If you’re using Greek yogurt in cooking, basically you can use it anywhere that sour cream is used.”

Subbing Greek yogurt for sour cream in many recipes cuts calories and sodium, while delivering more protein. “If you’re making a cold soup that uses sour cream, I would swap it out for nonfat Greek yogurt,” she says. “You’re getting more nutrition with the Greek yogurt.”

Its acidity also works well as a marinade for meats and poultry. “It’s great for baked fish or chicken. If you’re using it instead of mayonnaise, you’re actually using less fat and you’re adding a little bit of protein and a little bit of calcium,” says Krieger, a St. Petersburg, Fla., mom. She spreads yogurt on whitefish, then mixes dried herbs with breadcrumbs or panko to sprinkle atop before baking.

“With yogurt, almost anything goes, the possibilities of cooking with it are infinite,” wrote Arto Der Haroutunian in “The Yogurt Cookbook: Recipes From Around the World” (Interlink Books, $35). The late author, restaurateur and artist suggested using it in place of cream, milk, buttermilk and sour cream.

“It makes an excellent marinade and goes well with vegetables, eggs, meat, poultry, cheese and grains,” writes Der Haroutunian, whose book boasts 200-plus recipes, including a garlic sauce (yogurt mixed with a crushed garlic clove, finely chopped green onion, a bit of salt and dried mint) for serving atop fried — we like grilled — slices of zucchini or eggplant.

Greek yogurt, like regular yogurt, can be temperamental in the presence of heat. If you’re using it in cooking, it will curdle if you cook it over high heat, says Krieger, who suggests using low heat or stirring Greek yogurt into sauces at the end of cooking for texture and creaminess.

Nutritional differences between Greek and regular yogurts are due in part to the number of times each is strained. Regular yogurt is strained twice to remove liquid (called whey); Greek yogurt is strained three times, which makes it thicker and sometimes tarter.

“Regular yogurt has more whey, that is more of the liquid where most of the lactose — also known as the carbohydrate — is found,” says Krieger. “So when the whey is removed, you’re left with a higher concentration of protein. That’s why you’ll see more protein in nonfat Greek yogurt than of the same amount of regular nonfat.”

Yet another reason to give tart, thick, creamy Greek yogurt a role to play in your culinary creations.

• GREEK YOGURT IN THE KITCHEN

Plain Greek yogurt’s thickness works for dips, on spicy foods (chili anyone?), baked potatoes and adds another flavor dimension to some condiments (say, Dijon mustard or sriracha sauce). Remember:

Liquid (whey) may pool at the top of yogurt. Dietitian Sarah Krieger says: It’s a good source of calcium so stir it back into the yogurt.

Because yogurt is acidic, use a nonreactive dish when marinating foods or storing yogurt.

Overstirring yogurt may thin its consistency.

It may be warmed gently, but do not boil.

To stabilize yogurt for a dish that may be cooked at a higher heat, cookbook author Arto Der Haroutunian suggests: Stir 1 to 2 teaspoons flour into a little water then add to yogurt before cooking. Or beat an egg into the yogurt before cooking.

• SHOPPING TIPS

Dietitian Sarah Krieger offers these tips:

“Always look at the ingredients first. Know what you’re eating.”

Not all Greek yogurts are created equal. Check ingredients beyond milk and live cultures. Some yogurt makers may be “adjusting their recipes to accommodate what people are looking for,” she says. Sometimes that means adding thickeners (i.e. gelatin or cornstarch) to yogurts strained only twice rather that the usual three times.

“People with lactose intolerance may find Greek yogurt easier to digest,” she says since Greek yogurt has less lactose (found in the whey).

Yogurts are made using live cultures (good bacteria such as S. thermophilus, and L. bulgaricus, as well as others). Look for the National Yogurt Association’s “Live & Active Cultures” seal identifying “yogurt products that contain significant amounts of live and active cultures.”

Skewered Chicken (Murgh Tikka)

Prep: 20 minutes; Marinate: Overnight; Cook: 10-15 minutes; Servings: 4

Adapted from “The Yogurt Cookbook” by Arto Der Haroutunian (Interlink Books, $35). The author suggests serving it with a tomato and onion salad, plus rice pilaf or the Indian bread, chapati. Two-percent Greek yogurt was used in our testing.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

Juice of 1 large lemon

1 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons each: ground coriander, salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or mint

Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Put the onion, garlic, ginger and lemon juice in a blender; puree until smooth. Empty paste into a large non-reactive bowl. Add yogurt, coriander, salt and cumin; mix well. Add chicken pieces; turn until well coated. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade; thread pieces on skewers. Cook on a grill or under a broiler, turning frequently, 10-12 minutes. Serve sprinkled with chopped mint or cilantro.

Per serving: 255 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 127 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrates, 46 g protein, 228 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

Apricot and Yogurt Custard

Prep: 1 hour, 15 minutes; Cook: 30-40 minutes; Servings: 4

Adapted from “The Yogurt Cookbook” by Arto Der Haroutunian (Interlink Books, $35), this dish has a firm texture, not unlike cheesecake. The egg yolks help stabilize the yogurt. We used 2 percent Greek yogurt in testing.

4 ounces dried apricots, soaked overnight in cold water

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Drain softened apricots; cut them into small pieces. Place in a 4-cup baking dish. Beat yogurt and yolks together in a bowl; pour over apricots. Place baking dish in a baking pan. Pour enough cold water into the pan to come halfway up the outside of the baking dish. Bake until set, 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool. To serve, mix brown sugar with pistachios. Sprinkle over top.

Per serving: 297 calories, 16 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 112 mg cholesterol, 29 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 45 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.