So I’m writing this today (Saturday) but who knows when it will be posted thanks to my temperamental internet access!
Last week I wrote about how to strain yogurt.
Today I want to talk about one of the two things I make with the yogurt – labneh. Labneh is often referred to as yogurt cheese, but really it’s just really thick and strained yogurt with various bits and pieces mixed through it.
It’s served a lot with Middle Eastern foods, but goes well as part of a platter of foods for a simple lunch – cold meats, tomatoes, sourdough bread, olives, some dips – you know the sort.
I also love it served with lamb. SO GOOD!
My favourite combination is plain strained yogurt with fennel seed, chilli flakes, a clove of minced garlic, salt, pepper and a bit of olive oil. Stir well.
It’s also very tasty with loads of fresh herbs and a bit of garlic mixed through – basil, parsley, coriander.
For something a little different, make a dessert version with mint and a little honey or maple syrup stirred through it. Perfect dolloped on fruit. Or chocolate cake.
Labneh with fennel and chilli
What you need:
1kg plain yogurt, strained for 24 hours
2tsp fennel seed
1 tsp chilli flakes (or more to taste)
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
What you do:
Place the strained yogurt into a bowl (save the whey for another use) and stir in all the other ingredients. Taste and add more flavor if necessary. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week – the flavours intensify over time.
Have you made labneh? What are your favourite flavours to mix through?
P.S. thank goodness for my little portable wireless moden! Saved the day yet again 🙂
Great, one of my chrissy presents was a yoghurt maker, so I’ll have to make a start on it. I’ve made cheese from milk, so the yogurt version sounds good.
I LOVE labneh!! I don’t make it often enough and then when I do, I make too much for the two of us to consume without looking like the side of a barn. 🙂