Labneh

Yoghurt plays a huge role in my diet. I can eat it breakfast, lunch and supper. I have it with homemade granola in the morning and then alongside savoury dishes later in the day. It’s one thing I always have in the fridge.

Chatting with friend and fellow yogurt addict Tacchi a few weeks ago,  I was reminded about labneh, a kind of fresh cream cheese made from strained yoghurt. This is something frequently served as part of a mezze in the Middle East – a spread of small plates of salads and dips and pickles.  It is the simplest thing in the world to make . You simply put yoghurt into a cheesecloth and strain it. It takes about 24 hours during which time the whey drips out, leaving you with a soft cream cheese. 

You get a more interesting flavour if you mix varieties of yoghurt. I mix goats or sheep  yoghurt – or both- with my regular Greek yoghurt. I vary the proportions  according to what I have – sometimes half and half and other time 1:3. I don’t think it matters. 

How do you eat it? The traditional way is to spread some on to a small plate, drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle some za’atar and a little salt. Then you mop it up with pita –  like eating hummus. But you can play with it in so many ways: instead of za’atar, try finely chopped fresh herbs and pine nuts. Or, incorporate it into a dip or paté, serve it with oven roasted vegetables, dollop some into soup, spread it inside a wrap….  You can even eat it with toast and jam! 

Making Labneh

Method

You will need a piece of cheese cloth or muslin. Place a colander over a bowl, line it with the cheesecloth and mix the yoghurt into it directly. Add a pinch or two of salt then tie up the cloth. Take away the colander and hang the cheesecloth with the yogurt over the bowl. Liquid starts coming out immediately and drips steadily for at least 24 hrs . Once the dripping stops it is ready.  

Labneh keeps well in the fridge – about a week if it lasts that long. It’s such an easy effortless thing to make that it seems silly not to and you will be surprised at how many ways you can eat it.  Let me know what you come up with!