Labneh: Strained Yogurt

Strained yogurt, popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, reminds me very much of cream cheese because it has the same soft, spreadable texture and slightly tart flavor.

It has many names, but I like to call it its Lebanese name, labneh.

You will need:

• 1 lb plain Greek yogurt (I use nonfat from Trader Joe’s)
• A generous pinch of ground cumin
• About 1/4-1/2 tsp light honey
• Salt, to taste

Line a strainer with a piece of cheesecloth. Pour or spoon yogurt into the strainer and place it over a deep bowl. Let it sit at room temperature (no higher than 74 F) for about 6 hours and then put into the refrigerator overnight right in the strainer. During this time, the yogurt will shed lots of water (mine usually gives at least ½ cup of whey), shrink in size and thicken significantly.

Remove the yogurt from the cheesecloth and transfer to a bowl. Stir in a pinch of salt, a generous pinch of cumin and a little bit of honey to balance out the acidity. Put on a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving.

I like to serve my labneh two ways:

For the first one you will need:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Several cherry tomatoes (preferably different colors) and Kalamata olives

Cut tomatoes and Kalamata olives in half. Mix olive oil with garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and parsley. Slice the labneh into circles (don’t worry about them being even because labneh is very soft) and put on a platter. Arrange the tomato and olive halves around and sprinkle with olive oil mixture. Grind some black pepper on top if you feel like it.

For the second serving option you will need:

• 2 roasted bell peppers, peeled and thinly sliced
• Several green Spanish olives
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp pomegranate molasses
• Several small twigs of fresh marjoram, leaves only
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Half the labneh

Toss the bell peppers with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp pomegranate molasses, a pinch of salt and black pepper and some marjoram leaves.  Let marinate for several hours in the fridge.

Arrange the peppers, sliced labneh and olives on a serving platter. Drizzle with the rest of olive oil and pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with salt, pepper and marjoram leaves. Serve with warm pita or lavash flatbread.

Comments

[Olga]

Tania, this is gorgeous, and I am stealing this idea. Look, I've been searching your blog for oven-dried tomatoes, thought I"ve seen them somewhere. Hint? ;)

[Tania]

It's here: http://www.seattlecookingspree.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=208:ovendriedtomatoes&catid=29:c-coldsauces&Itemid=42

If the link doesn't work, it's in sauces and relishes. I know, I should repost the recipe in my blog some time soon.