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Close-up of labneh balls in olive oil in a sealed glass jar.

Garlic and herb labneh balls in olive oil

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These delicious labneh balls keep for a month in the fridge. Squash and spread the labneh balls on toast, drop them in warm soup or use as a substitute for soft goat's cheese in salads.
I supply my preferred combination of dried herbs. But you can use your favourite or what you have already. Other dried herbs that work well are parsley, basil, mint, chives and marjoram.
If you are making your own labneh by straining yoghurt, you need to start another day or two in advance.
Recipe byAdri
Servings: 20 balls
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Setting Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 15 minutes

Equipment

  • Two medium-sized jars for storing (or 1 large jar)
  • Muslin or clean tea towels

Ingredients
 

  • 500 grams (roughly 2 cups) labneh, or 1 kilogram full–fat yoghurt (roughly 3–4 cups)
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt, plus more if making the labneh
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill
  • ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • extra virgin olive oil, for preserving (roughly 2 cups)

Instructions

  • If you have ready-made labneh, skip to the next step. For the labneh, mix 1 teaspoon salt with the yoghurt. Balance a sieve over a large bowl and line the sieve with muslin or a clean tea towel – leaving a large enough overhang of cloth to secure the yoghurt inside. The sieve should not touch the bottom of the bowl, and there should be enough space for the drained liquid to collect. Spoon the yoghurt and salt mixture into the cloth. Secure the yoghurt inside the muslin by folding or tying it with string. Yoghurt should not leak out. Instead, liquid whey should strain through the fabric. Place everything in the fridge and leave the yoghurt to strain for 24 to 48 hours until the labneh is thick – almost like cream cheese.
  • Place the labneh in a bowl and add the garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and dried herbs. Mix very well with a fork until the herbs are distributed evenly.
  • With lightly oiled hands, roll the labneh into rough balls. Use up to a heaped tablespoon – between 20 and 30 grams – per ball.
  • Put the rough labneh balls on a plate lined with a clean, damp tea towel or muslin. Cover the balls with more cloth. Place in the fridge to set overnight.
  • Remove the balls from the fridge and, again using lightly oiled hands, smooth over the labneh balls by applying gentle pressure and rolling the labneh balls between your palms.
  • You can now keep the balls refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 1 week. Or, if you would like to preserve it for longer, store it in olive oil. Place half a cup of extra virgin olive oil in a sterilised, sealable jar. Drop in the first few labneh balls and cover with olive oil. Repeat until the container is filled and all of the labneh balls are completely covered in olive oil. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Notes

  • For more in-depth notes on making labneh, see this post focussed on how to make labneh. For labneh balls, I like to use a combination of double cream cow’s milk yoghurt and full cream goat’s milk yoghurt.
  • Keep in mind that different yoghurts will have different labneh yields, just adjust the herbs depending on your labneh weight.
  • You can use fresh herbs if you don’t plan on consuming the labneh balls within a few days.
  • Use good quality extra virgin olive oil. And don’t discard it when the labneh balls are finished! You can use the oil in salad dressings or regular cooking.
  • When refrigerating the labneh balls in olive oil, the olive oil will eventually solidify. Simply leave it at room temperature for an hour for the oil to soften before fishing out the labneh balls. Return the jar to the fridge until needed again.
  • Try different combinations of dried herbs, but stick to roughly 1½ teaspoons of dried herbs per cup of labneh.