If you're a fan of cream cheese and you like yogurt, chances are you'll love labneh.
Labneh is a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cheese made by salting and straining yogurt to remove most of the whey. It is rich, thick and creamy like cream cheese, but slightly tangy like yogurt.
To make your own, combine 4 cups whole milk or low-fat plain yogurt (be sure to use a yogurt that does not contain any additives or stabilizers) and generous pinch of salt and mix well. Line a fine-mesh sieve with several layers of cheesecloth. Strain yogurt in the prepared sieve for 36 to 48 hours in the refrigerator.
The cheese makes a delicious base for dips and spread for bagels or stir it into chicken salad or tuna salad as a low-fat, high-protein alternative to mayonnaise.
Here it is mixed with feta cheese, nuts and seasoning and stuffed into sweet peppers.
The original recipe called for sweet Italian peppers, which can be difficult to find locally, but I used small regular red bell peppers with favorable results. Miniature bell pepper would work too.
Labneh-Stuffed Peppers With Feta and Pistachio
2/3 cup labneh (see note)
1/3 cup crumbled feta
3 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
2 teaspoons finely chopped mint
Generous grind black pepper, to taste
Dash ground red pepper (cayenne)
Salt, to taste
4 Italian sweet peppers OR 2 small regular red bell peppers (about 1/2 pound total)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Warm flat bread such as pita or naan, for serving
In a medium bowl, combine the labneh, feta, pistachios, mint, black pepper and red pepper. Taste and season with salt, if necessary; set aside.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut around the stem of each pepper. If using regular bell peppers, reserve stem. Using the knife, loosen and remove the seeds and membranes. Fill each pepper cavity with cheese mixture. If using regular bell peppers, replace stem and secure with a wooden pick.
In a skillet just large enough to hold the peppers, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add peppers, partially cover, and pan-fry turning occasionally, until pepper skins are blistered and beginning to char and filling is hot, about 7 minutes total.
Serve with warmed flat bread.
Makes 2 to 4 servings.
Note: Cream cheese is an acceptable substitute ; for a similar tang, consider using Greek yogurt cream cheese.
Recipe adapted from Yogurt Culture by Cheryl Sternman Rule
Food on 05/13/2015