Labneh – Arabic Soft Cheese

Another recipe from Balaboosta. Hopefully these recipes are entertaining for people….because they’ve been my last few posts!

This one is a keeper. So far – I am loving that cookbook. Lots of different recipes, easy to follow, and delicious!

And. It’s N approved. Which I love! He said this tastes authentic. So – there’s that!

What’s labne? It’s basically an arabic soft cheese – made from yogurt. It’s hard for me to describe completely – but it’s a delicious blend of salty, tangy feta, creamy cream cheese, and sour, sour cream.

The version I’ve made is a soft version – if you want it to be harder (more like feta), then allow it to sit longer in the sieve.

Here’s what you need: whole milk yogurt, salt, olive oil, and (optional) zatar. Other items: 2 bowls, sieve, and cheesecloth.

And here’s what you do:

Step 1: place sieve in bowl – place cheesecloth in the bottom of sieve (cheesecloth should be folded over 3 times).

Step 2: mix 1 T. salt with the entire container of yogurt.

Step 3: place the yogurt from the container into the cheesecloth covered sieve. Cover the rest of the yogurt with the cheesecloth.

Step 4: place bowl with sieve, cheesecloth, and yogurt into the refrigerator overnight – or up to 24 hours.

Step 5: remove from fridge, remove yogurt from cheesecloth – place into serving bowl. Mix with a spoon to lighten the cheese. Discard the excess water at the bottom of dish.

Step 6: top with olive oil and zatar. (zatar is options….sumac, or any other dried mix that you enjoy would be delicious)

Step 7: eat with thick pieces of crusty, crunchy bread.

AMAZING. Creamy. Sour. Salty. Tangy. Amazing.

What’s it taste like? Well – it’s like a mix of sour cream, feta cheese, and cream cheese.

What else can you do with it? Well, I made roasted mushrooms and made this recipe for roasted, and stuffed mushrooms – and replaced the goat cheese with labneh. Amazing. You can add it to sandwiches. You can eat it with celery and cucumber. Really, your options are endless.

I really enjoyed this cheese – it was cost effective, easy, and delicious – I will be making again!

Labne
From Balaboosta Cookbook
Click here for recipe print out 
Prep Time: 10 min + 8- 24 hours waiting

Ingredients:
4 cups plain yogurt (whole milk)
1 T. kosher salt
Olive oil (to drizzle on top)
Zatar spice (to sprinkle on top)
Bread or pita for dipping

Directions:

Step 1: place sieve in bowl – place cheesecloth in the bottom of sieve (cheesecloth should be folded over 3 times).

Step 2: mix 1 T. salt with the entire container of yogurt.

Step 3: place the yogurt from the container into the cheesecloth covered sieve. Cover the rest of the yogurt with the cheesecloth.

Step 3: place bowl with sieve, cheesecloth, and yogurt into the refrigerator overnight – or up to 24 hours.

Step 5: remove from fridge, remove yogurt from cheesecloth – place into serving bowl. Mix with a spoon to lighten the cheese.

Step 6: top with olive oil and zatar.

Step 7: eat with thick pieces of crusty, crunchy bread.