This was an accidental discovery. I had some friends coming for lunch and I had baked ricotta with salad in my mind. But I’d forgotten that I’d used the ricotta. Oops.
Lots of other lunch options of course, but you know when you have your mind set on something? I had some home-made Greek yoghurt in the fridge, and I thought perhaps I could make ricotta by lunch time?
Nope. I put 2 cups of the yoghurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. Two hours later I had something like labneh and it just seemed like that might work instead.
It was a lucky discovery – very easy and very delicious.
The Recipe:
Serves four for lunch.
This is quick and easy, but you need to start several hours ahead of time.
Mix
- three cups of Greek yoghurt
- a good pinch of salt
- 3 teaspoons of grated lemon rind
- juice of a large-ish lemon (150 ml)
Pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. In this cool weather you can just cover with a cloth and leave it on the bench to drain – the yoghurt culture will protect it from any bad bugs. If it is hot find room for it in the fridge.
After a couple of hours, the bowl should have about a cup and a half of clear liquid and the cheesecloth about a cup and a half of thick, creamy spreadable curds.
Tip it into a bowl and mix in:
- 3 eggs
- 1½ cups of finely chopped fresh herbs. I used spring onion greens, lemon thyme, basil, parsley, mint and nasturtium leaves.
Oil a tray of small muffin tins and spoon the mixure into the cups. You should have enough for 8 small cups.
Bake in a medium oven for around 30 minutes until set and the top is golden.
Serve with a good sourdough bread toasted to spread it on and a green salad on the side.
Linda, this is a very good idea! We make baked ricotta whenever the fresh stuff is getting a bit older, but we always have homemade Greek yoghurt on hand and sometimes use it to make labneh balls. It never occurred to me to bake it! Thank you!
What a fantastic idea Linda, I love Labneh, I spell it Labne, I make our own yogurt so am looking forward to trying this, only trouble is the chooks are not laying at the moment so no eggs!
No matter how you serve it, this spread s perfect for entertaining a few friends or sharing during a quiet evening at home. A bright, creamy spread made with roasted cauliflower and labneh, topped with fresh rosemary, and served on toasted flatbreads.