Labneh

Breakfast delight

We were told that Marcel Proust loved his madeleines, because when he would bite into one a flood of childhood memories would overtake him and he would experience bliss…well, I can say the same thing about a bowl of labneh at the table in the morning…that’s all that I need to feel that I am in a good place, that I am lovingly cared for, that the ugly world is kept at bay…Labneh is to me the essence of goodness! It is wonderfully creamy and tangy. It can be scooped up with a bit of pita bread, and Oh, the delight of the melting bite, the earthiness of the olive oil that always gets lodged with it, it is a feeling of belonging to the simple and wholesome goodness of mankind, all in one bite! 

INGREDIENTS

1 container of yogurt, whole or lowfat (14 oz. or more)

1 sieve, 1 coffee filter or a paper towel

Extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Line a sieve (large enough to fit the quantity of yogurt) with either a coffee filter or a paper towel. Dump the yogurt on it and let it sit over a bowl for a few hours until the yogurt gets drained completely of its water. The bowl can either be placed on a counter or in the fridge covered loosely with plastic wrap. It is O.K to let it sit overnight. Grab the bowl, dump the water and flip the drained yogurt, now labneh, into a pretty serving dish. With the back of a spoon, draw a circular furrow all around. Pour some extra virgin olive oil in the furrow. It is ready now! Eat with pieces of pita and also, if you wish,  fresh mint, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers, some zaatar sprinkled on top..

NOTE:

Some people may wish to add salt to the labneh, fine, I don’t do it. Salt is bad for you.