Homemade Labneh with Sprouts and Dukkah
I make labneh at home all the time. It’s particularly good served with toast and I love having it with lots of the winter vegetables that are in season now, particularly carrots or squash. The tartness of the labneh matches perfectly with the richness of these vegetables and the herbs that go so well with them, like thyme, rosemary, or sage. Try making a big batch of the labneh to keep in your fridge for a few days to make a quick lunch with.
This serves two people.
Ingredients:
500g natural yogurt
200g brussel sprouts
1-2 tsp dukka
1 garlic clove, crushed
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A sprig of thyme
Sea salt and pepper
Muslin cloth
Method:
The night before you want to make this dish, scoop the yogurt into the middle of the muslin cloth. Hang it up so it’s hanging over a bowl and leave it overnight. The whey should drip out of the yogurt and in the morning you will be left with a lovely creamy cheese inside the muslin. Take this out and season is with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.
Cut the sprouts into slices, you should get between 3-4 slices per sprout. Put a pan on a medium heat and once the pan is nice and hot, add the olive oil and garlic. Let this cook for a couple of minutes before turning up the heading and adding the sprouts. I often add a couple of tablespoons of water at the beginning of cooking the sprouts so that they cook in the steam before crisping up, the water stops them from burning before they’ve actually cooked. Remove the thyme leaves from the stalk and add them to the sprouts, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Spoon the labneh onto the plates you plan to serve on, and spread it across the bottom of the plates, leaving a little well to add the sprouts. Add the sprouts and sprinkle with dukka on top. This is delicious with a piece of sourdough toast to scoop the labneh and sprouts up with.
Xanthe Gladstone