labneh: hung yoghurt cheese

Fresh labneh marinading in olive oil, herbs and spices

Autumn is traditionally a time to make fermented foods, jams and preserves for winter. Around this time of year we begin to enjoy warming, comforting autumn meals like soups, stews, and any slow cooked foods with seasonal root vegetables. 

Labneh is a wonderful addition to any autumn meal, or just as a moreish snack with crackers and veggie sticks to keep you powering through a chilly afternoon. It's irresistably deliciously creamy, salty and tangy. It also makes a beautiful gift for friends and family, and as you make it you can infuse it with your loving energy!

Labneh is also known as hung curd, strained yoghurt, or yoghurt cheese that has been strained to remove its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than unstrained yogurt, while preserving yoghurt's distinctive, sour taste. It originated in the Middle East but different variations are made in southeastern Europe and parts of Asia.

Because there is no need for further heating or processing, labneh still contains all the wonderfully beneficial probiotic bacteria of yoghurt so it's super for your digestive flora and general health. It's high in protein. It's also full fat dairy (if you use full fat yoghurt), which is good news for women looking to get pregnant.

It's texture is similar to ricotta or really soft feta, but I think it's way better than both! The first time I tried it straight after the hanging phase, I had one of those "wow, this IS good" moments. You can eat labneh as a condiment with Middle Eastern dishes; spread it on toast and top with sunflower sprouts and sauerkraut; take it on a picnic to enjoy with sliced figs and crackers; or eat it straight from the jar with a clean spoon - this is pretty hard to resist once you taste it!

Ingredients

• Yoghurt. Natural or unsweetened yoghurt from the shops will work just fine. I used a tub of Heavenly Organic's "body" yoghurt my mother-in-law gave us. Note I'm not encouraging you to eat raw dairy (a huge kettle of fish right there and I don't feel like discussing it) - it's just what we had.
• A cloth, such as cheesecloth, clean chux, or clean tea towel. I used a nut milk (I can't bring myself to spell it "mylk", I just can't) bag.
• Oil.  I use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
• Salt.
• Herbs and spices.

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Method

1. Pour yoghurt into a clean cloth, making sure the weave is nice and fine. I used a nut milk bag which has a super fine weave. If you're using a cheesecloth or clean chux, layer it into a big strainer and balance this over a bowl. I just popped the nut milk bag into a jar and hitched it up a bit to leave room for the whey. The screw on lid ensured it stayed where I wanted it to.
2. Leave, covered, for two days in the fridge. The whey (milky, watery liquid) will slowly drip out of the yoghurt. Keep this nutritious liquid gold. It's high in protein and probiotics and can be used in all sorts of things such as smoothies and salad dressings, or as a starter for various other fermented foods. Put it in a labelled jar in the fridge and it will last for weeks. 
3. After two days, the yoghurt in the cloth should be thick and maybe even almost crumbly in consistency. Pop it into a bowl and mix in 1 teaspoon of salt per litre of yoghurt you initially used. I used finely ground Celtic sea salt.
4. In a clean glass jar, pour a layer of olive oil 1 cm deep. Add to this spices (e.g. black pepper, whole coriander seeds, chilli, sumac) and herbs (fresh or dried, e.g. thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary). Using two teaspoons, shape small portions of the strained yoghurt into rough balls, and place them gently in the olive oil. Keep going, adding more olive oil as necessary to make sure all the labneh balls are covered.

Hanging the yoghurt

Thick, feta-like yoghurt after straining for two days

Creamy, crumbly labneh about to be a-salted

5.   Leave in the fridge to marinate. You can eat it straight away (I DID), but if you leave it a week or so the flavours of the oil, herbs and spices will infuse into the labneh and it will be even better.

6.   Eat and enjoy! Use a clean spoon to scoop the labneh out of the jar to save it from potential contamination. It will remain moist and last longer if you always keep it covered with olive oil. Once it's all eaten you can use the herb-infused olive oil to amp up your cooking or salads!
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Labneh is delicious as a condiment with slow cooked stews and warming autumn meals.

Have you made labneh before? Is this something you would try? Let me know in the comments below!