labne

Labne is a Lebanese cow's milk cream cheese made from yogurt. It's less tart than American cream cheeses but it's ridiculously unctuous. While delicious with sumac all on its own, I wanted to add some texture and nutty sweetness with...

Roasted Cauliflower and Labne Spread Recipe

cauliflower,

Kosher salt

olive oil

extra virgin olive oil

lemon juice,

sumac,

parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 450°F. Lay cauliflower in roasting pan and coat with olive oil and heavy pinch salt. Roast until edges are nutty brown and paring knife inserted into cauliflower offers no resistance, about 30 minutes.

Transfer cauliflower and remaining oil in pan to food processor along with labne, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and sumac. Pulse until puré forms, leaving some small chunks of cauliflower intact. Add parsley and pulse until integrated. Adjust seasoning with lemon, sumac, and salt. Spread can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled. Sprinkle on extra sumac just before serving.

This is a very classic tomato sandwich recipe with my little twist: I swap the mayo for tangy-creamy labneh cheese. Keep it simply delicious, or check out the &quot;notes&quot; section below for more ways to jazz it up.

Better Than The Classic Tomato Sandwich

labneh (or store-bought classic labneh)

Extra virgin olive oil

sandwich bread, (lightly toasted)

large heirloom tomato, (thinly

Black pepper

Whip and soften the labneh for spreading. In a small bowl, stir the labneh with a generous drizzle of olive oil until well combined. Add more olive oil as necessary until the labne is glossy and spreadable.

Build the sandwich. Spread a thick layer of the labneh on each slice of bread. Top with the tomato slices, then season with salt and pepper.

Serve. Cut the sandwich in half crosswise and enjoy.

I keep tzatziki sauce base (pre-cucumber) at all times, that I use labne to make. I love it on baked potatoes. It’ll be fabulous here too.

Chops are finger food. It’s a messy job at times, but that’s the appeal!

This recipe is an edited extract from Eat Up New Zealand, by Al Brown, Allen & Unwin, $49.99.

Spiced lamb shoulder chops with labne, honey and dukkah

lamb shoulder chops

(560 grams) labne or natural yoghurt

(115 grams) runny honey

pomegranate seeds (optional),

(80 grams) blanched almonds

(40 grams) pumpkin seeds

sunflower seeds

sesame seeds

tsp ground sumac

oregano

¼ tsp ground turmeric

sea salt flakes

tbs ground sumac

tbs smoked paprika

coriander seeds, toasted, ground

1½ tbs cumin seeds, toasted, ground

tbs sea salt flakes

tsp black pepper

1½ tbs finely chopped garlic

lemons

Step 1

For the marinade, place all ingredients in a large bowl and combine. Add lamb chops and, with clean hands, massage spices into the chops. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 days. The longer they marinate, the better the result.

Step 2

For the dukkah, preheat oven to 160°C. Place the almonds, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds in a small roasting dish, and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Place all the ingredients into a food processor, and blitz into a coarse meal. Store in an airtight container until required.

Step 3

Preheat a chargrill, barbecue or oven grill to high. Cook the shoulder chops all the way through, letting them develop a decent amount of char and caramelisation. Remove and rest for 5 minutes.

Step 4

To serve, spread the labne or yoghurt on a platter. Top with the charred chops, then drizzle with runny honey, and scatter with mint leaves, pomegranate seeds (if using) and dukkah. Serve with lemon wedges.

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