Name: Labneh with olives, pistachios and oregano
Ingredients: 450g goat’s yoghurt; 450g natural yoghurt; 20 black olives, pitted; 1½ tbsp roughly chopped fresh oregano; 1 tbsp chopped parsley; 2 lemons, zested; 1 small garlic clove, crushed; 100ml olive oil; 20g pistachios, lightly toasted; 20g pine nuts, lightly toasted; ½ tsp flaked chilli; 3 ripe tomatoes; ½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced; coarse sea salt

Labneh with olives, pistachios and oregano

Dips and dressings Vegetarian

Serves 4

Try your hand at turning yoghurt into a luxurious Middle-eastern cheese. It may seem a bit technical but it isn't really, providing you get started a day ahead. Serve the labneh with minimum graces: spoon inside chunks of good crusty bread and top with tomato.

Ingredients

450g	goat’s yoghurt
450g	natural yoghurt
20	black olives, pitted
1½ tbsp	roughly chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp	chopped parsley
2	lemons, zested
1	small garlic clove, crushed
100ml	olive oil
20g	pistachios, lightly toasted
20g	pine nuts, lightly toasted
½ tsp	flaked chilli
3	ripe tomatoes
½	of a small red onion, thinly sliced
	coarse sea salt

Method

Line a deep bowl with a cheesecloth or muslin. Stir the two yoghurts together with ½ a teaspoon of salt and pour into the cloth. Bring the edges together, form a tight bundle and tie firmly with a string. Hang the bundle over a bowl or from your tap over the kitchen sink. Leave the yoghurt to drain for 24-36 hours. After this time much of the liquid should have been lost and the yoghurt will turn thick and quite dry; the centre may still be creamy.
Remove the labneh from the cloth and onto a serving dish or platter. Use the back of a spoon to spread it over the plate creating a loose wavy pattern, about 2 centimetres thick.
Next, dice the olives or chop roughly. Place them in a bowl and add the oregano, parsley, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil, reserving 2 tablespoons of oil for the tomatoes. Use a pestle and mortar to crush the nuts unevenly, leaving some just broken and others finely crushed; add to the olive mix and stir.
Spoon the olive mix over the labneh clearing about 2 centimetres away from the edge (you don’t need to use the whole quantity if you want your labneh a bit milder). Sprinkle with chilli. Finally, cut the tomatoes into thick wedges and mix with the onion. Arrange on a side plate next to the labneh, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the reserved olive oil. Serve the labneh and tomatoes with torn out chunks of bread.