Labaneh from scratch

Labaneh is simply a plain yogurt that’s drained of its whey. It gets thick and creamy and makes a delicious spread thats often used for breakfast eaten with pita bread. Or slathered in a sandwich. Add in Za’atar, herbs, dried mint for a delicious combo.

Always serve labaneh with extra virgin olive oil. It’s also delicious served with tomatoes, cucumbers and olives.

If my childhood was a sandwich it will be a labaneh sandwich. It’s what I ate for breakfast, school lunch, my mom would cut a pita in half slather it with labaneh, sprinkle of zaatar and cucumbers who’s with me here! and of course a sandwich while doing homework because you know brain food. Labaneh or #labneh is simply plain yogurt drained of its whey . Once it thickens its creamy and decadent. If you strain it even longer it becomes thicker, almost becomes #fermented and more dense in flavor. #Labaneh is used in everything in the Arab world. Often spooned in a plate with olive oil on top. Baked in bread, part of the #breakfast or #mezze table. School sandwiches or As a dip mixed with herbs and spices such as #zaatar, #dukah , or dried #mint and #chili

The Labaneh bag:

The Labaneh bag is a love story. It’s a fixture in every Palestinian home. Mine is a hand sewn gift that my grandmother gave me when I first got married.

Growing up there wasn't a week where you don't see a Labaneh bag hanging from grandmas tita's kitchen sink filled with homemade yogurt to become labneh. She made hers fresh every week. Although Labaneh is widely available now but growing up it was always always homemade.

Tools:

Cheesecloth or a cotton Labaneh bag if you have one.

A fine Colander or strainer

Labaneh ingredients:

32 ounce good quality plain yogurt

1 tsp of salt

Directions:

Mix the salt with the Labaneh real well to combine.

Scoop Labaneh Into the Labaneh bag or the cheesecloth and twist the bag real tight around the yogurt and tie with a string.

Place the cheesecloth in the strainer Over a bowl to catch all the whey. Make sure that their is room between the bottom of the strainer and the bottom of the bowl so the Labaneh isn’t touching the liquid. This step will allow the yogurt to dry out and become Labaneh.

Refrigerate minimum 8-24 hours discarding the liquid whey often so it’s not in contact with the drained yogurt.

Remove the Labaneh from the cheesecloth or the bag. At this point it should have a cream cheese spreadable consistency.

Your Labaneh is now ready to eat. To store Place it in a glass container drizzled with a layer of olive oil.

This will keep well in the fridge if covered with olive oil for 2-3 weeks

Tip: The longer the Labaneh drain the thicker it gets.

To clean your Labaneh bag:

After each use wash the bag by hand with warm water and dish soap and allow it to completely dry before storing.

Labaneh Balls:

#labanehballs #labanehtabat #homemadelabaneh #strainedyogurt

Labaneh balls is just taking Labaneh a step further. It’s a lot more firm and drier than traditional Labaneh and often preserved in olive oil.

Labaneh balls or “Tabat Labaneh” are often made late spring and summertime when fresh yogurt is widely available and at its tastiest. My favorite version is made with goats milk or goats yogurt.

For this recipe Labaneh has to be made first, then shaped into balls and set out to dry over few days. Then packed in a jar with olive oil. The Labaneh balls are delicious rolled in herbs and spices such as Za’atar, mint and sumac.

Ingredients.

One Labaneh recipe (drained for 48 hours)

Directions:

Cover a tray with few layers of paper towels

Scoop one tbls of Labaneh into the palms of your hands and roll into a ball

Place the balls on the paper towels

Place more paper towels on top of the rolled Labaneh balls making sure to absorb any extra liquid.

When the paper towels get wet or damp, replace them with new towels. You are going to do this twice a day. Don’t worry it’s pretty easy.

Keep the Labaneh balls in the fridge for the duration of this process.

Repeat the process until the Labaneh is completely dried out a process that might take 3-4 days

When ready place the Labaneh balls in a sterile glass jar. Pack the Labaneh balls in there and submerge completely with olive oil.

Keep jar in the fridge it will last for few months if covered in oil.

To serve allow the oil to come to room temperature because it will solidify in the fridge.

Tip: you can flavor your oil with chili’s, garlic or fresh herbs like Za’atar, Rosenary etc.

To serve: you can serve the Labaneh straight out of the jar. Or roll the Labaneh balls in dried mint, Za’atar, sumac or whatever you like before serving.

Purslane "Baqleh" Yogurt Salad

Purslane is a green, leafy vegetable, often considered as an herb or a weed. Can be eaten raw or cooked and contains about 93% water. The plant has red stems and small, green edible leaves. It has a slightly sour taste. In Palestine we call this herb "Baqleh" and sometimes sitti calls it Farfahina, Although there is few applications in the Palestinian cuisine for this herb served either hot or cold. It has also been present in many ancient cuisines around the world for thousands of years.

This salad is often served in the summer when the herb grows wild and free. This salad is delicious served next to kibeh, grilled kebabs, with kiftah, and as a side salad to rice dishes. It can also be served part of the mezze table.

This is an easy and a very quick recipe with only a few ingredients. You can find fresh purslane in farmers markets in the summer and sometimes, you can even find wild purslane growing in your own backyard or garden, just make sure its not sprayed with any pesticides. But the tiny green leaves are packed with nutritional value. Purslane is so high in many nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium, iron, calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids. This incredible nutrition profile makes you wish it grows in your garden like a weed. Go find some purslane and add it to all your salads this summer.

Purslane Yogurt Salad

• Total time: 20 mins

• Prep time:10 mins

• Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves grated or finely minced

• Salt to taste

• 3 cups plain good quality thick yogurt

• 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 2 tbls chopped fresh mint (omit the mint of using purslane leaves). You can use dried mint as well 1 tsp

• 4 packed cups purslane leaves *** see note
  

***

1. Pick purslane off the stems. Fill a bowl with cold water and wash few times and drain well. Make sure there is no soil left on the leaves. If the leaves are too large you can give them a rough chop. I like to keep my leaves whole. And if the stems are tender they are equally delicious.

2. Purslane and diced are used interchangeably in this salad. If you are using cucumbers add about 3 finely diced cucumbers and 1 tsp dried mint, and one cup fresh chopped mint.

Directions:

In a salad bowl, add yogurt, garlic, salt, and one tbls olive oil. Mix the ingredients together to combine. Fold in cucumbers or purslane. Chill until ready to serve. Drizzle with an additional tabls of olive oil and Aleppo peppers.

This salad keeps well in the fridge for up to one week.

Pink Vinegar: With Chive Blossoms

Our growing season in Chicago is short. spring doesn’t really start till April - May. And we don’t harvest anything till mid summer. But One of the first things to grow in my garden in the springtime are chives. It feels so great to see them break the icy grounds, it gives me hope of the warm days ahead. And within few weeks the chives blossom into these beautiful purplish flowers.

Chives are a perennial herb, which means that they will come back year after year without you having to do much and they grow bigger and fuller every year. Did you know chives are a great companion herb!!! (yes there is such a thing ) and I really like that. Think about it! It grows by helping other plants grow too ! Life lessons.

Chive blossoms have an onion-like flavor that is more delicate and mild than the chives green stems.

After a week or two of steeping the blossoms in vinegar It turns into this beautiful shade of pink and then you use it like you would any other vinegar except this one is stinking cute pink.

This chive blossom vinegar is so delicious in salad dressings, marinades, and splashed on roasted veggies

And as far as chives chop and stir them with eggs, make compound butter, add them to your salads. Their mild onion flavor makes them so good in so many applications. Stay tuned I am making a great salad with this chives vinegar later this week.

Chive Blossom Vinegar

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh chive blossoms (pick the bright purple ones, not the old ones as they are dry)

• 1-1.5 cups white vinegar or any vinegar you like I am using white wine vinegar for this recipe. Enough to fully submerge the blossoms

• 6 ounce glass jar with lid

Directions

1. wash the blossoms real well

2. Drain off the water and dry in between paper towels

3. Fill the jar 1/2 to 2/3 full of chive blossoms. With the back of a wooden spoon muddle the blossoms a bit so they release their flavor.

4. Pour the vinegar ** over the blossoms, and stir thoroughly.

5. Close the jar tightly and place in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks to steep.

6. By now it’s a beautiful color. Strain out the blossoms, pour into a clean bottle, and store the finished chive blossom vinegar in your pantry. It should last for few months!

7. You can use the vinegar immediately but the longer it sits the more intense the chives flavor gets.

8. This recipe is pretty simple so if you have a lot of chives blossoms definitely double the recipe these little jars make for cute little gifts too.

Recipe notes

• **Feel free to use other types of vinegar. Just keep in mind that using stronger flavored and darker vinegars like apple cider will change both the color and flavor

#chives #chivesblossoms #chivesvinegar #gardenherbs #springherbs #herbs