Labneh is a thick, creamy dip originating from the Middle East. It’s made by straining yoghurt to remove most of the whey, but in this recipe, I’ve swapped yoghurt for kefir, as it’s richer in beneficial microbes. Labneh is a popular mezze dish for sharing, and I’ve loaded it with fibre-rich veggies, topped with extra virgin olive oil and za’atar. These ingredients are rich in polyphenols—plant compounds that nourish your beneficial gut microbes.
Tips:
- You’ll need to strain the kefir for 8-12 hours, so if you can, prepare it the night before you plan to make the dish. It will also keep in the fridge for a couple of days, so you could make it in advance to share over the weekend with friends or family.
- The whey which drains from the kefir is rich in protein and can be used in place of water or milk in smoothies, breads, flatbreads or pancakes. I used mine to make the flatbreads I served with this dish.
Cook time: 35 minutes + kefir straining time (overnight)
Serves: 2-4 with flatbreads for lunch or as part of a mezze dinner
Ingredients
500ml kefir for 2 people, or double to 1 litre to serve 4
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt, depending on how much kefir you use
2-3 vegetables of your choice to roast. For 2-3 people I used
250g carrots
200g tenderstem broccoli
200g cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
To serve:
Olive oil
Chilli oil
Dukkah or sesame seeds
4 flatbreads, pitta or crackers for scooping
Method:
Make the labneh: Start this the day or night before. Line a sieve with cheesecloth, a clean J-cloth, or a linen/cotton napkin and place it over a bowl. Pour in the kefir and stir in ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt. Gather the sides of the cloth, twist, and tie with a rubber band or piece of string. Leave it to strain for 8-12 hours in the fridge. The whey will slowly drip out, leaving you with labneh.
Prepare the vegetables: Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan). Cut your vegetables into thick slices (e.g., carrots, peppers), or leave them whole if they are softer and will cook more easily (cherry tomatoes for example). Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place each vegetable on a separate baking tray, as they will have different cook times. Roast until soft and slightly charred - for tomatoes and broccoli this is around 10 minutes, carrots 15-20 minutes.
Assemble the dish: Once the labneh has strained and the vegetables are roasted, bring the labneh out of the fridge (see tip to see what you can do with the whey that’s drained out). Undo the cloth and transfer the labneh to the centre of a serving dish. Using the back of a spoon, spread the labneh around the dish, moving the plate in a circle with your non-spoon hand to create a circular bed for the veg to lie on.
Finish the dish: Once the labneh is evenly spread, top with the roasted vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dukkah or sesame seeds. Optionally, drizzle with chilli oil for extra flavour.
Serve: Toast your flatbreads, and you’re ready to serve!
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