Labneh is very easy to make. Just spoon your choice of yogurt—I alternate between sheep and goat yogurt—into a double layer of cheesecloth and let it drain for a few hours. The whey will drain off the yogurt and you will be left with creamy labneh, which you can have plain drizzled with very good olive oil and sprinkled with za’atar or use to make dips like the one below, which I discovered at Khawali restaurant in Damascus, back in the days when Syria was a peaceful country. The dip is a gorgeous pastel green color and it has an intriguing flavor, a combination of the subtle sour tang of labneh and the heady aroma of crushed tarragon.
SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ounces (60 g) fresh tarragon sprigs
- 1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- Sea salt
- 1½ cups (375 g) labneh
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish
- Coarse sea salt and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- Good bread, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Strip the tarragon leaves off the stems and put in a mortar along with the garlic and a little salt. Crush with a pestle until totally pulverized and creamy.
- Put the labneh in a bowl. Stir in the tarragon-garlic mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Spread the dip onto a serving platter, making grooves here and there. Drizzle olive oil into the grooves and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt and toasted sesame seeds if you feel like it. Serve with bread for dipping.
