How to make labneh?
a creamy and light base for your summer dishes (plus two recipe ideas)
Labneh is a creamy ingredient with its origins in the Levant. It is comparable to cream cheese but with the tanginess of the yogurt (due to milk fermentation). It is very versatile: you can eat it with all types of vegetables (or fruit), as a dip for pita bread (add olive oil and za’atar), or just as a spread.
It is also easy to make.
How to make labneh
Ingredients:
600 g whole-milk yogurt
½ tsp salt
Directions
Mix yogurt with salt.
Line a sieve with a linen or muslin cloth. Put the sieve on top of a bowl.
Place the salted yogurt on the cloth and cover with the overhang.
Let it drain at least overnight.
Serve as you wish (some suggestions below).
Note 1: If you don’t have the patience or the means to strain yogurt, you can always try substituting it with Greek yogurt (also mixed with a bit of salt). The drawbacks may be that Greek yogurt may have less structure and thickness (which make labneh a good base) and may be more watery.
Note 2: The strained liquid you will get is basically whey, so you can use it, for example, to make a whey-rich smoothie after working out (but consider its saltiness).
Here are two recipes I recommend to start using your homemade labneh. Or simply eat it with some fruit and seeds, or vegetables and bread!
Broccolini and tempeh with garlicky labneh
This dish was inspired by an Instagram post of
. I thought it would go great with the tempeh bacon by Minimalist Baker (it did).Needed ingredients
For the labneh:
Yogurt
Garlic
Salt
Seasoning: toasted (or plain) sesame seeds, dried thyme, dried oregano, lemon zest, sumac (optional)
Broccolini
For the tempeh: check the recipe linked below
Topping: olive oil, red chili flakes
Let’s go by parts:
Labneh: prepare it as described above. After straining, mix it with a finely minced garlic clove.
Broccolini:
Although they look like (and are sometimes called) baby broccoli, they are not a young version of broccoli but rather a hybrid between broccoli and a Chinese variety of broccoli. They are a bit sweeter than broccoli.
I like to cook broccolini with a drizzle of olive oil in the pan or oven until they get a bit browned (browning generates a lot of flavor). However, cooking them in the pan or oven until tender may take a while and ends up drying them up, so this is usually my method:
Boil water in a big pot.
Add salt.
Add the broccolini and blanch them for 4-5 minutes.
Drain.
Add them to a pan (or oven) over medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
Sear them until lightly brown, stirring occasionally (but not often, to allow for browning).
Tempeh: I suggest the tempeh bacon recipe by Minimalist Baker. I skip the liquid smoke, so probably not so similar to bacon anymore, but still full of flavor!
Assembly:
Using the base of a spoon, spread the garlicky labneh on a dish. Season it with toasted (or plain) sesame seeds, dried thyme, dried oregano, and lemon zest. If you are lucky to have some sumac, add it too!
Top with seared broccolini.
Drizzle with olive oil and add a sprinkle of red chili flakes.
Serve with the tempeh.
Feel free to swap broccolini for other vegetables, according to the season. I imagine asparagus and broccoli rabe would make great candidates.
Labneh with roasted salmon, carrots, and dukkah
Needed ingredients
For the labneh: yogurt, salt.
For the salmon:
Salmon fillets
Cumin
Paprika
Salt
For the carrots: carrots, olive oil, salt.
For the dukkah: check the recipe linked below
Procedure
Labneh: prepare it as described above.
Salmon
Note: if you are vegetarian, skip the salmon (maybe add some extra carrots).
One hour in advance: season salmon with salt, paprika, and cumin. Place it on a roasting tray.
Note: Salting the salmon in advance gives time for the salt to reach the inside of the fillet so it will be evenly seasoned and tasty.
After the carrots are done (below), roast the salmon at 220 ºC (no fan) for 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes, as it will cook further with the residual heat.
Carrots:
Preheat the oven to 220 ºC (no fan).
Cut the carrots diagonally into chunks of about 3 cm.
Toss with some olive oil and salt.
Place on a baking tray (if needed, put some parchment paper on the bottom of the tray beforehand). Roast until a sharp knife can run through one of the chunks without resistance and the chunks are lightly browned (about 30 min). While they are roasting, stir once or twice.
Keep the oven at 220 ºC to cook the salmon.
Dukkah:
This Egyptian and Middle Eastern mix can be sprinkled on dips or vegetables or combined with olive oil to dip some bread.
I recommend using this recipe by Mediterranean Dish.
Assembly:
With the base of a spoon, spread the labneh on a dish.
Distribute the roasted carrots and similarly sized pieces of salmon.
Drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle dukkah on top.
That’s it for now! Let me know if you tried any of these or if you have any comments or suggestions!
I will leave you with a music recommendation for the day: