Labneh, roasted olives, orange sumac oil
This is such a holiday appetizer, isn’t it? Put this out in front of a group of people and watch them drool.
Roasting the olives gives them a really nice texture and helps deepen their olive flavor further. All enjoyed with a light orange and sumac oil on top, it’s light yet comforting.
Ingredients:
Labneh:
1 kg plain, unsweetened yogurt — not Greek!
pinch of salt
You will need a cheesecloth, a colander and a mixing bowl
Roasted olives:
250g pitted green olives
250g pitted kalamata olives
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
Orange sumac oil:
1 tsp sumac
few sprigs of rosemary
2 peels from an orange
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice from half an orange
Method:
To make the labneh: grab a colander and set it on top of a bowl. Line the strainer with cheesecloth, enough so that it goes over the sides. Add the yogurt onto the cleesecloth, add salt and mix it through gently. Fold the sides of the cheesecloth in and package the labneh up so there’s no open spots. Put down a can or a cooking weight, something to press down on the yogurt to help it strain. Set in the fridge for 24 hours. After 24 hours, pull back the cheesecloth to reveal a cream cheese-like consistency.
To roast the olives: Preheat oven to 180C/355F fan-forced. Drain the olives and add to a baking tray, big enough so that the olives are spread apart slightly (about 8 x 6 inch) and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss to combine and roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.
To make the orange sumac oil: using a peeler, peel two pieces of orange rind, the kind you would use for a cocktail. Break apart a rosemary sprig or two into smaller pieces. Add all of the ingredients to a small fry pan and bring to a simmer over low heat, about 5 minutes. As soon as it simmers, stir gently, turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. After it has cooled slightly, discard the cloves and cinnamon stick.
To plate: add spoonfuls of labneh to a gorgeous serving plate and using the back of the spoon, smooth it around until you like how it looks. Simple as that! Spoon overtop the roasted olives and finish with the sumac orange oil, pouring over the roasted olives. Don’t be afraid to get the orange rind or rosemary in there too, it looks beautiful on the plate! It’s not meant to be eaten though.
Enjoy with focaccia, crackers or toasted baguette pieces.
