Labneh Dip with Olive Topping
You simply cannot miss out on this Labneh. It's a Labneh Dip with Zaatar Pistachio Mint Olive Topping! Sprinkled with fresh pomegranate seeds and served with pita chips - this easy labneh recipe is the perfect appetizer or can be served as part of a mezze platter drenched in Moroccan Olive Oil.
Ingredients
For the dip:
- 2 cups labneh (store-bought or home-made) replace that with 3 cups yogurt to make it from scratch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios (toasted preferably but optional)
- 1 tablespoon chopped pitted Kalamata olives
- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup Zaatar spice
- 2/3 cup Mina's Moroccan Olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
For the Zaatar Pita Chips:
- 2 large Pita breads (not Greek style) cut up into wedges
- 2 tablespoons Zaatar spice
- 1/4 cup Mina's Moroccan Olive Oil
Instructions
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Start by Making the labneh. Use quality yogurt and mix that with salt.
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A cheesecloth or ideally a pillow case is best used to strain the labneh.
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Place the yogurt salt mix in the pillowcase.
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squeeze out as much moisture as possible .
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place that over a sieve over a bowl and let it strain overnight or at least 8 hours.
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The labneh cheese is ready when it's trained and dried out.
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Make the pita chips.
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut up each pita bread into 8 wedges and then separate the 2 layers of the pita bread giving you 16 wedges in total per bread.
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In a small bowl, mix the zaatar spice and olive oil.
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Lay the pita bread wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush them with the Zaatar and olive oil mixture. Bake for 6-8 mins until crispy (keep an eye on them because they burn easily!)
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In a small bowl, add in the chopped mint, pistachios, olives, pepper flakes, zaatar spice, pepper flakes, zaatar and olive oil. Mix the topping ingredients well.
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Spread your labneh on a flat plate mounding the labneh to about an inch high.
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Spoon the topping ingredients over the top of the labneh and allow it to drip from the sides. Sprinkle the pomegranate arils on top.
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Serve with pita bread and some minty red tea.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
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LABNEH TIPS
- You can buy labneh at Middle Eastern Stores or make your own. To make your own follow step by step instructions above and video.
- Always start with your favorite type of yogurt.
- A pillowcase is best to strain the labneh, better than a cheesecloth.
- Depending if you start with Greek yogurt or regular yogurt , you may need to strain it for 8-12 hours.
- Salting the yogurt before straining is key.
- Topping is to your taste--the combo of zaatar, mint, olives, pistachios and pomegranate is a contrast of sweet, salty, soft, chewy, crunchy and delicious.
- Use Mina's Moroccan Olive oil for its' quality, taste and rich polyphenols.
- Make pita chips and store them in a ziploc ahead of time-- up to a week in advance.
- You can opt for sa simple sat and olive oil flavored pita chip, it's still delicious!
- See section on how else to serve labneh.
- Labneh recipe keeps in the fridge for minimum of 2 weeks.
- The pita chips keep for a week.
- ENJOY
Make this labbneh dip for your game day, potluck, snacks and more!