Do you remember my homemade ricotta? That recipe is wonderful – I’ve received comments and emails from many of you who have tried it too, with great results. I have made it dozens of times already and used it in both savory and sweet dishes. I thought it was about time I tried another recipe from Donna Hay’s cheese making spread (issue 35), especially after seeing the wonderful cheeses my friend Ana Elisa has been making lately.
If you liked the ricotta, you’re gonna love the labna: it’s even easier to make – no cooking involved, no need for a thermometer – and tasted really good. I highly recommend it.
Labna (yogurt cheese)
from Donna Hay magazine
2 cups (520g) plain, full fat yogurt
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
olive oil to cover
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
Place the yogurt and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Line a sieve with fine muslin and place over a deep bowl – the bottom of the sieve should not be in contact with the liquid released from the yogurt. Pour the yogurt mixture into the sieve. Cover, set aside in the refrigerator and allow to drain for 5 days, removing the liquid every once in a while.
Roll 2 teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place in an airtight jar. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Add the oregano and peppercorns and cover with oil*. Store the labna in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
* the olive oil coating may solidify in the refrigerator so allow the labna to return to room temperature before you serve it.
Serves 4
19 comments:
When I get home from work today, I've got to check if I have that issue! This looks wonderful!
I'm so intrigued by this. It looks delicious! Quick question though - what is "natural yogurt"? Is that just any basic full fat plain yogurt, or is there a special kind I should be looking for?
I adore labane! Never thought of making it myself. Thank you!
This looks so great. I have yet to make my own cheese, but this seems like such an easy version, I'll have to give it a go! How does it taste?
This looks so neat!!
Patricia,
The cheese looks so tasty and your presentation is beautiful. I'll have to add that to my must try. Thanks for sharing!
I love yogurt of all types and have successfully drained it for use in cheesecake. This really tempts me to try it savory, which I've never done before. Thanks!
Labana is delicious- definitely a "make at home"!
Looks lovely, Patricia. And you presented it simply, on a cracker- wonderful photo, by the way.
I'd love to give this a try.
You really have been outdoing yourself in the past few months :)
Fantastic - it looks so professional, but sounds so easy to make.
Wow.....so making this!!!!!!Looks lovely, the photos are beautiful too!
ok, you've got me - I think I've got to make some of this... maybe even for festive season gifts. It looks so appealing in the jar with that luscious olive oil...
Pam, hope you have it at home, sweetie!
Tks!
Arugulove, thank you! It's regular, plain yogurt. I'll correct that.
Gala, it's easy, isn't it?
Tks!
Sarah, this is really easy, dear - it tastes good and the texture is amazing.
Ash, thank you!
Alexa, thank YOU for stopping by!
Miss Kate, and it's easy!
Tks!
Xiaolu, if you like it drained in sweets, I think you'll like this one too!
Yael, thank you for visiting!
Barbara, thank you, darling!
xx
Maya, how are you, dearie?
xx
Alicia, very easy - thank you!
Kitchen Butterfly, tks for visiting!
A Forkful..., I'm so glad you like it, hope you give it a go!
Love this! Have made labna too and totally fell in love with it...so simple and yummy :) And you can play around with the flavors too!
We eat labneh in Lebanon every morning for breakfast with olives and tomatoes, with pita bread. Love your photos!
Thanks for sharing the recipe - I've been meaning to make this. It's so simple, but sooooooo delicious.
In Turkey, we call this strained yoghurt (süzme yoğurt) and this is really something delicious to use in many recipes. It would last longer than the yoghurt itself, too, since it is free of water. Especially we use it in side dishes (meze) which we serve mostly with Rakı (traditional beverage with approximately 50% alcohol). But I haven't tried it this way. Thank you for this great recipe!
Hey, thank YOU for letting me know so much about labna!
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