How to Cook Well at Christmas airs on Sunday, December 21, at 8:30pm, and Monday, December 22 at 6.30pm, on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
- 500g natural full-fat yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons of chopped herbs such as chives, parsley, thyme leaves, rosemary, marjoram
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed to a smooth paste
- A pinch of dried chilli flakes, optional
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Wholemeal Crackers
Makes 25-30 biscuits
- 110g (4oz/1 cup) brown wholemeal flour
- 110g (4oz/1 cup) white flour, preferably unbleached
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 25g (1oz/1/4 stick) butter
- 1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) cream
- water as needed, 5 tablespoons (6 American tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) approx.
Method
- To make the labneh, take a double thickness square of muslin and place it over a sieve sitting over a bowl. Add the yoghurt and olive oil and tie the four corners of the muslin to make a knot.
- Secure the knot with some string. You now need to hang the tied muslin bag by the string over the bowl to allow the whey in the yoghurt to drip off leaving you your soft cheese. I hang the bag from a cup hook attached to a shelf and that works perfectly.
- If that all sounds too complicated, just sit the muslin bag in a sieve over a deep bowl and that will also do the job quite successfully. When the whey has all dripped out, simply remove the muslin and chill the cheese covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.
- Save the whey that dripped out of the yoghurt for another use.
- Add the herbs, garlic and chilli flakes if using to the strained labneh. Stir to mix all and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pack into a spotlessly clean container and flatten the surface with the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle on the olive oil to cover and seal tightly. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Wholemeal Crackers
- Mix the brown and white flour together and add the salt and baking powder. Rub in the butter and moisten with cream and enough water to make a firm dough.
- Roll out very thinly to one-eight of an inch thick approx. Prick with a fork. Use a cutter or cut freehand to shapes of your liking.
- Place onto a baking tray and bake at 150°C / 300°F / Gas Mark 2 for 45 minutes approx. or until lightly browned and quite crisp. Cool on a wire rack.
