Chili Marinated Labneh

Chili Marinated Labneh

Labneh is a creamy, tangy Middle Eastern cheese made by straining yogurt until it reaches a thick consistency, similar to cream cheese but lighter and with a pronounced tanginess.

It’s a versatile ingredient, often used as a dip, spread, or even a base for toppings. Labneh’s simplicity allows it to pair well with various flavors, making it a favorite in many kitchens.

Labneh is my favorite cheese for summertime. You can pair it with almost anything- grilled vegetables, Sliced Tomato Tartines with Labneh and Fresh Herbs, Tomato Salad with Chimichurri and Labneh, crudités, roasted lamb flatbreads, burgers… the list goes on.

This version is an amped up iteration using amazing dried aji amarillo chilies and fresh herbs. Labneh is incredibly easy to make. Full fat Greek yogurt is all you need to start this recipe. Personally, I prefer to strain at room temp as the yogurt loosens up a bit when it is warmer, but you could also strain it in the fridge. This recipe marinates for a few days and the flavors really bloom after about 5 days.

Main Ingredients:

Greek Yogurt: Use whole milk Greek Yogurt. This yogurt is higher in fat, which is what you are looking for to make a creamier cheese.

Aji Amarillo: Aji Amarillo are hot yellow peppers from Peru. They fall in the heat range of tabasco peppers or cayenne peppers, but they have a wonderful citrus fruit flavor. This recipe calls for the dried version, which does tone down the heat level a bit and gives you an earthier chili flavor.

Sumac: Sumac is a fruity and tart spice that grows throughout most of the world but is mainly associated with middle eastern cuisine. It is a complex spice, which i enjoy using in a variety of dishes, that is both bright and earthy at the same time. If you purchase it for this recipe, any you have left over will get used up before long.

Safflower Oil/Olive Oil: The oils in this recipe is a blend. Olive oil will solidify and get cloudy when chilled, so the safflower oil thins out the mixture. This allows you to remove a ball of labneh without being completely coated with a quarter inch of solidified oil. Adding safflower oil in also reduces the “bite” of the olive oil which creates a mellow medium for the flavors to come together. You can substitute another neutral oil such as grapeseed oil or avocado oil.

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Chili Marinated Labneh

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Course: Pantry

Labneh is a versatile ingredient, often used as a dip, spread, or even a base for toppings

Yields

15

ounces

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Labneh Hang time

28

hours 

Refrigerate to let the flavors meld

2

days

Total time

52

hours 

15

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen on while I cook

Ingredients

• 1 quart greek yogurt – (32 oz by weight)

• 1 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 garlic cloves, halved

• 2 tsp coriander, whole seeds

• 1 bay leaf

• 4 sprigs thyme sprigs

• 10 peppercorns

• 1 aji amarillo dried chili

• 1/2 tsp sumac

• safflower oil (other neutral oils will work)
  to cover the finished labneh

• 3/4 cup olive oil, to bloom your spices

Method

• Season the Yogurt: Place the yogurt in a mixing bowl and season with salt. Mix well.
• Wrap the Yogurt: Lay out a double layer of cheesecloth in a wide bowl. It should be large enough to hold the yogurt and wrap it up completely with plenty left over to tie up. Let the cheesecloth hang over the sides of the bowl. Add in the yogurt and gently pull the corners to the center and twist it to create a bindle. Don’t twist too tight as you only want to put gentle pressure on it so the liquid slowly seeps out.
• Hang: Take about a two foot section of butchers twine and use one end to tightly tie off the cheesecloth bindle. Use the other end to loop over a cabinet handle and hoist it up to about 8 inches off the countertop. Keep the bowl under it to catch the whey and let this hang for 24 hours.
• Squeeze: After the 24 hour hang time, take the bindle down and squeeze out more whey by twisting the knot. If you see some of the remaining yogurt trying to push through, stop squeezing. Lay the bindle in a bowl and place in the fridge for 4 hours.
• Make your Seasoned Oil: During this time, make your seasoned olive oil. Bloom the aji chili in hot water (like you are steeping tea) for 5 minutes, or until it softens up. Then, pat it dry and slice into it lengthwise to expose the seed and allow the oil to seep in. Place the dried spices, bay leaf, chili and olive oil into a small pot. Slowly heat to about 225 degrees. Once you have reached your temperature, remove from the heat and add in the thyme and garlic. Let steep cool to room temp while you are waiting on the labneh.
• Form the Labneh: After 4 hours, remove the cheesecloth and break the labneh ball up into 1 ounce pieces and roll into a ball. Once they are all rolled, place them gently in a jar, being careful not to smash them. Place the bay leaf and chili in the jar with the labneh when you have about half of them in. Top with the rest of the labneh and pour in the rest of the olive oil and spices. Top with neutral oil until covered and seal the jar.
• Marinate: Turn the jar upside down for a bit and then right side up to allow the two oils to blend. Refrigerate for 2 days before using.
  

Field Notes

• When you are hanging your cheesecloth bindle, choose a cabinet that you use less frequently. Trust me, you will forget it’s there and open the cabinet normally while flinging whey everywhere.
• Your cheesecloth should be double layered, and about 18”x18”.
• You don’t want to squeeze the labneh too early in the process, because the yogurt is not very dense. Once it has time to hang and drain, you can then squeeze the cheesecloth because the solids left behind have thickened up and shouldn’t pass through the cheesecloth.
• Once the labneh is gone, strain the remaining oil and use it to finish pastas or as the base for dipping bread.
• Try with our Sliced Tomato Tartines with Labneh and Fresh Herbs or Tomato Salad with Chimichurri and Labneh.