Minted Yoğurt Balls
Labne
Preparation info
Difficulty
Easy
Makes about
15
Balls
Appears in
Anatolia
By David Dale and Somer Sivrioglu
Published 2015
When I first heard of a Middle-Eastern cheese called labne I was intrigued, but I refrained from using it in my restaurant because I thought it was Lebanese. Then I discovered that the name comes from laban, an Egyptian-Arabic word for ‘milk’, that it is just strained yoğurt, treated with a little lemon and salt; and that it can be found all over Turkey under the name süzme. The Lebanese like to dip their labne in zaatar, and the Egyptians dip them in dukka, but I thought I’d be Turkish and use mint and sumac.
Ingredients
1 1¼ tablespoons 1.4 kg 3 lb 2 oz - juice of
¼ 1 500 ml 17 fl oz 2 cups 3 tablespoons 3 teaspoons 2 teaspoons 1 tablespoon
Method
Crush the garlic with
Place the yoğurt mixture on a sheet of muslin (cheesecloth), tie up the corners and hang over a pot for 12 hours to drain. The yoğurt should thicken to a cream cheese consistency.
Mould the thickened yoğurt into spheres about the size of a ping-pong ball. This quantity should make about fifteen balls.
Gently place the labne into a large jar with the fresh mint, cover with olive oil, and then set aside to rest for at least 24 hours.
When you’re ready to serve, combine the herbs and salt on a plate and roll the balls in the mix, one at a time. Serve on a platter in the middle of the table for people to help themselves.
© 2015 All rights reserved. Published by Murdoch Books.