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Tangy Labneh with Spicy Tomato

Tangy Labneh with Spicy Tomato is an easy and delicious way to create a relaxed sharing plate dining experience. Labneh is a tangy Lebanese cream cheese made from greek yogurt. Topping the Labneh with a Spicy Tomato paste injects life and colour into this dish and is the perfect partner to the cool cream cheese. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Fermenting Time1 day
Total Time1 day 20 minutes
Course: BBQ, Brunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Lebanese
Keyword: Cream Cheese, Homemade, Lebanese, Relaxed Dinning, Sharing Plates, Small Plates
Servings: 6 People
Calories: 135kcal

Equipment

  • Cheese cloth or muslin

Ingredients

Labneh

  • 500 g fat free greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Spicy Tomato

  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • 1 medium heat chili stalk removed and deseeded
  • 1 garlic clove peeled
  • 1 tsp tomato puree
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds ground
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

To Serve

  • Warm pita bread
  • Olives
  • toasted flaked almonds
  • fresh chopped mint
  • drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • sprinkling of paprika

Instructions

Labneh

  • Labneh takes 24 hours to mature and lasts for 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You will need to start the labneh at least the day before.
  • Stir the sea salt into the greek yogurt. Pour into a sieve lined with cheese cloth/muslin and place over a cereal sized bowl. Ensure the bottom of the sieve sits just above the base of the bowl. After a few hours the whey that drains from the yogurt should be touching the sieve. This will control the amount of whey that drains from yogurt, creating a labneh with a velvety texture. For a thicker lebneh use a large bowl to ensure the whey is allowed to drain freely from the yogurt. 
  • Cover and leave to one side for 24 hours. If your kitchen is really warm you will want to move your yogurt to a cooler place to mature. 
  • When the labneh has matured, tip into a bowl and stir with a spoon until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Spicy Tomato

  • To make the spicy sun-dried tomato paste add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth. This is really easy and fast to make so I make it on the day. It will last 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge so you could make ahead of time.

To Serve

  • Tip the labneh onto the centre of a plate. Use the back of the spoon to spread out roughly and create a small well in the middle for the tomato paste. Do not smooth out the lebneh, you want to create little wells for the olive oil to pool in. 
  • Spoon the tomato paste into the little well in the centre of the labneh. 
  • Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with toasted flaked almonds and chopped mint.
  • Serve with the tomato salad, warm pita breads and olives. 

Notes

Don't forget to share on social media and tag me if you make any of my recipes. Instagram @TheDelectableGarden and Facebook @TDG.co.uk
Nutritional value is based on Labneh and Spice tomato only. It is for guide purpose only and is based on ingredients I used.