There is nothing more wonderful than transforming the banal into the beautiful. One of my favourite transformations is that from yoghurt to labneh. I got to know it as a Middle Eastern cheese, but like most things, it has roots and variations from all over. The basic process consists of putting yoghurt into muslin and allowing the whey to drip out over time until you're left with a soft cheese. The simplicity of this process, the patience it requires, the lush end result - all from goopy yoghurt - is to me the culinary version of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
Add to that the fact that you are bound by nothing but your imagination and you bring me to my knees. Labneh can be made plain, or mixed with, or rolled in, pretty much anything. To me it is an empty canvas that allows me to be Salvador Dali (surrealist surprise - black pepper and mint) or Jackson Pollock (abstract anarchy - cayenne pepper and honey). For this particular labneh, with a tongue in cheek reference to its destination, I decided on Rubens (bold baroque - chilli, garlic & dill).
CHILLI, GARLIC & DILL LABNEH
Mix 1l thick Greek yoghurt with 1t salt, 1T chilli, 1T dill & 2 crushed garlic. Pour into muslin cloth and tie with string. Put into a colander then into a smaller container so the colander hangs. Put the whole lot in the fridge for around 3 days. You can check the container daily to pour out the whey that drips off. If, after day 2, you check and it seems far from having a cheesy consistency, you can put a weight on top to force the liquid out.
Once the yoghurt has turned into cheese roll it into ping pong balls and preserve in olive oil, which I mixed with dried chilli, smoked paprika and black pepper. It's absolutely delicious spread on toast, biscuits or pita and can also be added to a salad.
xx
J
0 comments:
Post a Comment