How to make Labneh | Labneh Recipe

(Photo: Dean Cambray)

Yogurt is not cheese. It is milk thickened through the use of a bacterial starter rather than rennet, and the whey is not separated and drained off as in cheese-making. But don’t let that stop you making, and eating, labneh. Natural yogurt made from ewe’s milk is the traditional choice for this recipe. It contains almost twice as much fat and calcium as cow’s milk, and its rich, silky texture balances beautifully with the lemony acidity of natural yogurt – Will Studd

A delicious recipe lifted from the MELT! book. Available here

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Ingredients

  • 1 litre whole milk (ewe’s milk, if possible)
  • 2 tbs natural ewe’s milk yoghurt 
  • Sea salt 
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Za'atar

Method

(1) In a saucepan, bring the milk gently to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to body warmth, or until you can easily tolerate it to the touch.

(2) Stir the yogurt into half a cup of warm milk, allowing it to dissolve fully, and then add to the rest of the milk and stir well.

(3) Cover the mixture and leave to stand in a warm place for 24 hours.

(4) Place a clean thin tea towel or – better still – muslin or layered cheesecloth in a large strainer.

(5) Salt the yogurt mixture to taste and pour into the strainer over a bowl. Tie the material at the top to enclose the yogurt mixture, but leave it in the strainer in a bowl and keep it in the fridge for 12 hours, or until the desired texture is achieved, discarding the liquid that drips into the bowl. Alternatively, you can hang the wrapped yogurt over a bowl, but few fridges will easily accommodate that technique. Also, remember that extra time means a firmer texture.

To serve, spread the labneh in a bowl or on a plate, sprinkle with za'atar, and drizzle with EV olive oil. 

For a lively variation, once you have prepared your labneh, but before you serve it, try this: wearing a pair of disposable gloves, dip your fingers into olive oil and roll the labneh into small balls. Place these in a container with olive oil and add dried chili flakes to the oil. These will keep in oil for up to three months, getting even better, day by day.

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