Recipe Labneh with aubergine and onion petals

[Morning Glory]

Labneh is soft cheese made from straining full fat yoghurt. Its a delicious cheese, rather firm in texture and with a slightly sharp tang. The firm texture means you can shape it into balls, which is what I did here. Serve this warm salad as a starter. You can make flatbread using the the whey to accompany the dish. Left over labneh will keep for at least a week or much longer if you place in a jar and cover with olive oil.

Ingredients (serves 2)
For the labneh:
500g full fat Greek style yoghurt (makes 200g labneh)

For 2 flatbreads:
100g self raising flour
Whey from making labneh
A large pinch of salt

For the warm salad:
1 medium onion
1 aubergine, cut into 1 cm slices from lengthwise (you need 2 slices per portion)
2 tbsp harissa paste
Olive oil
Maple syrup
Black sesame seeds
Mint leaves

Method
To make the labneh:

1. Place the yoghurt in cheesecloth and suspend over a bowl. Leave to strain for at least 12 hours.

To make the flatbread:

1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl and add just enough whey to just bring the mixture together. You won’t need very much.
2. Knead lightly and form into a ball. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.
3. Divide dough into two and roll into circles or ovals.
4. Fry the flatbreads in a non stick frying pan/skillet over a high heat for a few minutes each side, until they blister and char in places. There is no need to add oil to the pan.

To make the salad:

1. Form the labneh into small balls (it helps to have slightly wet hands). Set aside.
2. Cut the unpeeled onion from root to tip and then across the diameter of each half. Place in a microwave safe dish with an inch of water.
3. Cover and microwave for 10 minutes or until the onion is tender.
4. Place the slices of aubergine on a tray and brush the harissa paste over them. Drizzle with olive oil and grill (broil) under a medium heat until cooked through (approx. 10 - 15 minutes).
5. Remove the skin from the onion wedges. Divide into petals.
6. Arrange the aubergine slices, onions and labneh on plates and drizzle with a little maple syrup.
7. Sprinkle black sesame seeds over the labneh and scatter with a few torn mint leaves.
8. Serve with the flatbread.
9. An alternative presentation is to use the flatbread as a base, cover with labneh and add the aubergine and onion on top, pizza style (see photo). Drizzle with maple syrup and heat under a hot grill (broiler) for a 5 minutes before serving.

Alternative presentation: