labneh - strained yoghurt

Labneh is a kind of cream cheese made from yoghurt. The yoghurt is strained through muslin for a day or so, and then seasoned and eaten. I use low fat yoghurt.

Put a strainer over a bowl and line with a muslin cloth.
Empty a pot of plain low fat yoghurt into the muslin and twist it closed.
Leave yoghurt to drip for at least 12 hours.

How to use it:

Roll into small balls, about the size of a small walnut, then roll in herbs or paprika with a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper. Cover in good quality virgin olive oil.

Chop or grind some garlic and stir into strained yoghurt with a pinch of salt.- eat with hot pitta bread.

Chop some ready to eat apricots up very small,  add some finely choped fresh mint and a pinch of salt - eat with hot pitta bread.

Drizzle some virgin olive oil over the strained yoghurt and  sprinkle with paprika - eat with hot pitta.

easy chicken curry

On the way to a friend's house I decided I should whip up a lovely meal for the host. Slightly controlling behaviour, but needs must when visiting someone whose cooking always disappoints and at times may be a health hazard. I armed myself with two chicken legs, some steak mince, a lime, garlic, fresh ginger and a bunch of coriander. I was thinking night one: meatballs. Night two: chicken curry. The basics (onions, tomatoes, olive oil, yoghurt, curry powder, tomato puree) were in the pantry. All the prep could be done at once. 

The chicken is best marinaded overnight and cooks slowly. 

The chicken is tender and the flavours gentle. Very easy to eat. You could make the flavours more delicate by throwing in a couple of cardamom pods, and you could use one of the tandoori mixes to give it that violent red colour. Sometimes it's nice to keep things simple and go with ready mixed curry powder and have done. The garlic, ginger, coriander and lime mix is the key. Or you could use lemon.


This is enough for two people if eaten alone, would stretch if eaten with other dishes.

Recipe

ingredients

2 chicken legs

1" ginger

4 cloves garlic

1/2 bunch of coriander

1/2 pot of yoghurt

1 lime

3 tbsp tomato puree

pepper and salt

method

• take the skin off the chicken
• peel the garlic and ginger and chop finely
• finely chop the coriander, including the stems
• wash the lime, squeeze the juice
• put the chicken in a heatproof bowl with the chopped garlic, coriander, lime juice and both halves of the squeezed lime and yoghurt
• cover bowl with clingfilm and put into the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight

heat the oven to 325/160/3

·        take the chicken out of the fridge and stir in the tomato paste

·        the sauce may separate, to avoid this add 1tsp of cornflour

·        cook for two hours, stirring occasionally

Eat. With rice or naan, and a small salad. 

I like to eat this with dry cooked ginger potatoes and/or dhal.