This entry is dedicated to my cousins Dina and Yasmin (aka Rita), my Aunt Kiki and the rest of the family who showed me such an amazing time while I was visiting the Middle East, shukran jazeelan!!

In the Middle East, goat milk is king. That fact alone earned the ME major points in my book. Although I don’t necessarily use it to dunk my cookies in; for cooking purposes goat milk is phenomenal. I find it to have a much deeper and sharper taste than the everyday cow’s milk, and when used properly it can take something ever so simple and turn it into something spectacular.

While traveling in the Middle East, I enjoyed strolling down the different markets (souks) and admiring how store owners were true artisans of their culinary crafts. It was just as I remembered it in Aladdin, only it was real and even more chaotic. Markets were divided into categories such as meats, spices, nuts, dairy and so forth, creating perfect competition ideal for bargaining.

Every morning my aunt and I enjoyed a variety of mezze while watching her favorite news anchor read the daily horoscope. Then a few of her neighbors would stop by for a mini gossip session over a cup of Turkish coffee and take turns reading each others futures printed in their coffee cups; a pastime that is extremely popular among women in the Middle East.

Aside from all the amazing memories I made while traveling, I also made sure to inquire about every single recipe I was curious about. Labne certainly made the cut and was one of those recipes I knew I had to bring back with me. Luckily, all it is, is strained yogurt topped with a few garnishes. Making the yogurt from scratch with the freshest goat milk will yield a more authentic product, but this recipe is versatile and adapts well to regular cow’s milk.

If you are in need of a (relatively quick) labne fix, go for a store-bought plain yogurt and strain that. And if you could get your hands on goat yogurt, you’re in business and you may also pass go and collect 200 dollars. However, for the slow food aficionados and for those those looking for some culinary therapy, take the scenic route and make your yogurt at home.

Once you’ve made your yogurt as directed on the package of your preferred yogurt starter, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

I gave up on cheese cloths a long time ago and started using a clean undershirt to strain my yogurt. It’s a lot cheaper, it’s reusable and you could fit a lot more yogurt per batch. However you decide to strain your yogurt is up to you, but make sure to stir salt into the yogurt before setting aside to strain (approximately ½ tsp. of salt per cup of yogurt).

Posted in Middle Eastern, appetizers, savory by Antonio Tahhan on March 26th, 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.