Labneh All Day Every Day | Recipe
My mom used to make me these pita sandwiches to for me take to school. I am using the word sandwich liberally here because, in my experience, a sandwich usually has more than one ingredient inside. But these just had labneh, a tart strained yogurt spread made and used prolifically in many Middle Eastern food cultures. The other kids used to twist up their faces and ask if I was eating a sour cream sandwich and what kind of bread is that anyways? I simply told them, “No, it’s labneh in pita, you Philistine.” Maybe I didn’t know the word Philistine then, but I hope that’s the tone I took. And I did know that I loved labneh and that my sandwich was obviously superior to whatever they were eating. I loved it on my after-school mana’eesh bil za’atar, I loved it dolloped on literally any Lebanese lamb dish, I am not afraid to eat it by the spoonful, and I’ll use all the pita triangles to scoop up the entirety of the labneh portion put out with the mezze my family always enjoyed before a big meal. I can still hear my aunt saying, “Basta! You’ll ruin your dinner!” There are worse ways to ruin one’s dinner.
I’ve come a long way gastronomically, if you will, since gorging myself on eye-level labneh and pita when (I thought) my family wasn’t looking. I have learned that labneh is not just available at that bliss-inducing Middle Eastern grocer that I do not have in my small town, but is a common household practice for many Lebanese families and not terribly difficult to make at home (the easy way). In the ‘old days’ in the ‘old country,’ particularly in the mountainous regions of Lebanon, families would make yogurt from the milk of whatever livestock they kept (often sheep), strain it into labneh, then eat it, or preserve it (a practice born in the really old pre-refrigeration days), often as little cookie-dough-sized balls dropped into jars of the fantastically fruity, earthy olive oil typical of the region. I have also discovered that labneh is perhaps the most versatile thing I keep in my fridge. I eat a lot of well-dressed toast in the Spring and Summer, and labneh is the indisputable life of my lunch party during these seasons. (In the Fall and Winter, a scoop of labneh is divine on a hot bowl of anything that resembles a stew and beatiful with red meat or whole grain dishes.)
Assuming you don’t have your own livestock but that you do have a grocery store nearby, here’s how you can almost effortlessly add labneh to your quick lunch arsenal. Make it on a day off, eat it for days thereafter.
The most important element of labneh, unsurprisingly, is the yogurt. Labneh is, at its most basic, strained yogurt. If you’re making your own yogurt or have access to some chronic cream, this is likely to go really well for you. If not, head to a good grocery store (best if there’s a crunchy dairy section full of buzzwords and farm animals on labels) and grab a quart of low-key greek yogurt. What the hell does the low-key greek yogurt mean? It means to find the stuff that is not too thick, still creamy enough for a good swirl but made with whole milk, ideally from grass-fed animals (there’s a particular flavor that seems to come from a grass diet that makes a difference). I have tried a few yogurts with varying results – though I love Nancy’s yogurt with my granola, it lacks the necessary tartness and creaminess I want when I turn it into labneh. But Strauss Family Creamery greek whole milk yogurt makes labneh that may inspire a small victory dance in your kitchen. That’s what I’m using, but I encourage you to explore.
The second most important element is how you let the labneh chill. I am using the word chill 20% figuratively and 80% literally. I think it’s safe to say that many people are pretty reluctant to leave dairy products unrefrigerated for any amount of time, but you’ve got to get over that for the labneh game. After putting the yogurt on a cheesecloth on a sifter over a bowl, I leave it on the counter for three hours then put the whole setup in the fridge for twelve hours. Those few hours on the counter make a crucial difference. I’m pretty sure the Lebanese mountain mamas are leaving it on the counter the whole time, if that makes you feel any better.
You can truly eat labneh with just about anything. Pictured below are a few ways I really enjoy eating it as part of my well-dressed toast. (After we ate these guys, my husband declared that labneh and balsamic are the best of friends. I agree.) Below that is my recipe for labneh. It’s ridiculously easy but does need to chill for a total of 15 hours, so keep that in mind. Tell me in the comments what you do with your labneh and how you just blew the roof off your lunch game.
INGREDIENTS
1 quart greek, whole-milk yogurt
teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup your strainer. Put your sifter or colander over an appropriately sized bowl (appropriate for the bowl size, you won't get a ton of liquid in there). Line that sifter or colander with a double layer of cheesecloth. Some people like to hang the yogurt in the cheesecloth (by tying the cheesecloth to the handle of a spoon or some such thing), but I prefer this method. Onward.
Pour your yogurt onto the cheesecloth. I like to gently cover the yogurt with the corners of the cheesecloth, like you would cover a friend who fell asleep on your couch with a light blanket.
Leave that ensemble on the counter for three hours. Set a timer. You'll forget.
Put it in the fridge for twelve hours. What's happening then? Whey will strain out of the yogurt into your bowl. If you're going for a thicker labneh, just leave it in there until you've reached the thickness you're after.
Mix in salt to your liking - probably 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon but everyone's got a different salt threshold so just keep sampling it till you get it right! I have found that the salt settles nicely after it sits in the fridge for a day or two.
Put it in a bowl, drizzle a generous amount of good olive oil on it, sprinkle some za'atar on it too, and prepare to impress your friends. OR spread it on some really great toasted bread and top it with scrambled eggs (seriously), avocado, fermented veggies, a tossed salad, or just a little bit of evoo and some za'atar!