Starters & Light meals Archives

Chicken breast

Mini lamb meatballs in pita bread

Gnocchi recipes

Crispy-skinned salmon

5 minutes

Labneh meze platter with bubble bread

Serves 4

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 20 minutes, plus overnight draining time

Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups thick Greek-style yoghurt
1½ t fine salt
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
sumac, for sprinkling
fresh bay leaves, for serving
fennel shavings, for serving
marinated olives, for serving
coppa, for serving (optional)

For the bubble bread:

240 g flour
½ t salt
1/3 cup olive oil
½ cup water
sea salt, for sprinkling

Method

Combine the yoghurt and salt in a bowl. Rinse a piece of cheesecloth (about 30 cm in diameter) in hot water and use to line a fine sieve (no more than 15 cm diameter).

Place the sieve over a bowl large enough to hold the excess liquid that will drain from the yoghurt. Pour the yoghurt mixture into the lined strainer, cover with clingwrap, and chill for 6 hours.

Gather up the sides of the cheesecloth and tie them. This will help the cheese to take on a firm, rounded shape.

Allow to drain in the fridge for 24 hours. Turn out onto a serving platter or spoon into individual glasses, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sumac and garnish with fresh bay leaves and fennel shavings. Serve with the marinated olives, coppa and bubble bread.

To make the bubble bread, preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the flour, salt, olive oil and water in a food processor. Process until the ingredients combine and form a dough. Remove from the machine and knead for 15 minutes until elastic. Cut into smaller balls and roll out on a well-floured surface until paper-thin, rub with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place directly onto the oven rack and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

This recipe was created by TASTE reader Faheemah Mayet for the November 2011 Readers’ issue of TASTE magazine. For all our readers’ recipes, as well as restaurants, books, gadgets and wines chosen by TASTE readers, visit our readers’ issue page.

Discover more starter recipes here.

Easy, butter-roasted tomato-and-sausage spaghetti

Sweetcorn tamarind soup

Pork cacciatore

Kofifi salad with cajun chicken and honey dressing

Spicy yoghurt chicken

Mini lamb meatballs in pita bread

Vegetarian Gnocchi

Wild mushroom risotto

Crispy-skinned salmon

Nasturtium and wild sorrel pesto pasta

Baby marrow cake and cheat’s bearnaise

Mozzarella and roast red pepper salad

Double cheese souffle

Seasonal gazpacho

Labneh meze platter with bubble bread

Labneh meze platter with bubble bread

Ingredients

Method