RECIPE: FRESH LABNEH WITH OLIVE OIL AND CARNATIONS

Comfort food with a floral edge

Labneh is a delicious dish of drained yoghurt. In Lebanon, it is eaten as a dessert, but it is also an ideal dip for lunch or alongside your charcuterie board. It creates real comfort food moment that fits in with the style trend of the moment: Traditional Sentiment. You can make this special dish even more precious with the addition of carnations*.

Recept: frisse labneh met olijfolie en anjers

you will need

Colander
Bowl
Clean, rinsed tea towel
Yoghurt
Olive oil
Dried carnations and other edible flowers to taste*.
300 grams of seeds such as chia, linseed, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds and sesame seeds
Salt, cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes to taste
Za'atar

how to make it

Place the clean cloth into a colander and spoon the yoghurt onto it. Put it on a pan or large bowl and let it drain in the fridge. The next morning, the yoghurt will have a thick, creamy texture.

You can also make the crackers to dip into the labneh yourself. You need 300 grams of different seeds such as chia, linseed, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds and sesame. Put all the seeds in a bowl with a pinch of salt and spices such as cumin, turmeric and chilli flakes. Add water to the mixture and leave to stand for half an hour, after which the mixture will have become a dough.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the mixture onto it. Lay another sheet of baking paper on top and roll out into a thin layer. Decorate with the dried petals. You can bake the sheet as a whole and break it up later, or you can cut it into pieces before baking. Place in a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes at 150 degrees.

Make a fragrant olive oil by adding some carnation leaves. Carnations taste slightly spicy, like cloves and nutmeg.

Spoon the drained labneh onto a plate, make a well with a spoon and drizzle with the floral olive oil. Garnish with za'atar, a spice mixture of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. If you like, you can add some finely chopped nuts as well, such as pistachios. Add some more fresh herbs and petals and serve with the crackers.

For a festive touch, drink a fragrant tea in a heat-resistant wine glass along with your labneh. The tapered glass retains the flavour better. Bon appetit!