Labneh with charred leeks
Labneh is basically strained yoghurt that becomes sort of like a fresh cream cheese. It’s beautiful with all grilled foods, on a sandwich or with eggs. The toppings can be varied from a simple drizzle of good olive oil and za’atar to grilled veg or pickles. Use this recipe as a plain basic and try any toppings you can think of.
Ingredients
400g full fat yoghurt
1 tsp salt
1 leek or a bunch of spring onions
1 garlic clove
3 tbs olive oil
1 lemon
salt and pepper
Method
To strain the yoghurt, place a sieve or colander over a bowl and cover with muslin fabric. Mix salt and yoghurt and transfer to strain over night, cover the bowl with clingfilm. You can do this in less time but I prefer overnight to get a thick consistency.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Half the leek, or if using spring onions leave them whole, and place in a small foil package with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover up and bake for 20 minutes or until soft and charred. If you have a bbq simply brush the leeks with oil and charr them until soft.
Roughly chop the leeks and mix with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.
Transfer the labneh to a plate or bowl and top with the leeks.
