Ingredients
| LABNEH | |
| 900g thick Greek-style yoghurt | |
| 1 teaspoon sea salt | |
| SALAD | |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 3 sweetcorn cobs, husked, kernels cut from the cob (or use 2¼ cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted) | |
| 4 spring onions, sliced | |
| a pinch dried chilli flakes | |
| 2 teaspoons dried dill | |
| 1 teaspoon sumac | |
| grated zest and juice ½ lemon | |
| ½ cucumber, seeded if necessary, cut into similar-sized pieces as the corn kernels | |
| CHICKPEAS | |
| 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained, rinsed | |
| 2 teaspoons cornflour | |
| ¼ teaspoon sumac | |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cumin | |
| olive oil for frying |
This kind of salad is something I can eat all summer long. It needs minimal prep (and that can be done beforehand) and it’s perfect with Middle Eastern-inspired menus such as grilled lamb or eggplant, flatbread and hummus.
Fresh dill is one of my favourite herbs, but I seldom see great big bunches of it available. If you see some use it liberally in this salad, but otherwise I’m quite happy to use dried dill in its place.
You will need to make the labneh a day ahead. You’ll only use half for this recipe (feel free to make a half mix). But I think if I’m going to the effort of making some then I often make more, strain the remaining yoghurt for another day and then roll into balls and store in olive oil in the fridge. When I want to use them, I might roll in dried dill, za’atar or dukkah, then smear on toasted pita.
And yes, it does seem like a lot of chickpeas for the crisp topping, but in my experience, everyone wants just a little more of the crunchy pulses. I often serve the rest alongside.
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Instructions
| 1. | LABNEH |
| 2. | Line a sieve with cheesecloth. |
| 3. | Mix the yoghurt and salt together and pour into the cheesecloth. |
| 4. | Fold over the edges of the cheesecloth and strain over a bowl in the fridge for 24 hours or longer, depending on how thick you would like it. |
| 5. | I used this after 24 hours, but if I was considering making some labneh balls then I’d strain for 48 hours. |
| 6. | SALAD |
| 7. | Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the sweetcorn and spring onions and fry for a few minutes until tender. |
| 8. | Toss with the chilli flakes, dill, sumac and lemon zest and juice and set aside. |
| 9. | Add the cucumber just before serving. |
| 10. | CHICKPEAS |
| 11. | Put the chickpeas on a clean tea towel and rub gently to ensure that they are very dry. |
| 12. | Remove and discard any skins that have come off. |
| 13. | Put into a bowl with the cornflour and spices and toss well. |
| 14. | Heat the oil in the frying pan and, working in batches, add the chickpeas, cooking for approximately 10 minutes, stirring only very occasionally. |
| 15. | Drain on paper towels. Season with salt. |
| 16. | To serve, smear labneh on a serving dish and top with the sweetcorn salad. Scatter over the chickpeas. |
| 17. | VEGAN Use coconut yoghurt in place of yoghurt. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles