Labneh with pul biber brown butter (atom mezze)

Labneh is served as a cold starter in restaurants around Turkey and the Middle East – here, I top it with a nutty and aromatic brown butter that’s been infused with classic Turkish spice, pul biber. It might sound fancy, but this recipe is about as effortless as it gets!

Preparation and equipment: You will need a cheesecloth, muslin or alternative fabric for straining (see Recipe Tip).

Ingredients

For the labneh

• 650g/1lb 7oz suzme or thick Greek-style (strained) yoghurt
• 1 heaped tsp sea salt flakes
• 15g/½oz sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 lemon, juice and zest

For the pul biber brown butter

• 60g/2¼oz unsalted butter
• 3 dried chillies, rehydrated in freshly boiled water for 5 minutes, drained and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp pul biber

Method

1. Place a sieve over a bowl and line it with a muslin cloth or alternative fabric of choice (see Recipe Tip).

2. Mix the yoghurt with the salt, sugar, garlic and lemon zest and juice, then scrape it into the lined sieve. Wrap the fabric and tie with string, then leave in the fridge with the bowl underneath for at least two hours – the longer the yoghurt is left to strain the stiffer it becomes, and we want it to be a cream cheese consistency. (You can also hang it somewhere to drain.)

3. To make the brown butter, place the butter in a pan over a medium heat and melt. Eventually, it will start foaming. Once you notice the smell of butterscotch and see that the butter is taking on a golden colour, add the chilli and pul biber. Give the pan a little swirl then take it off the heat. (It’s important to catch the butter just at the beginning of the browning process so it doesn’t cook the pul biber too much – we only want it to infuse and bleed out its colours and flavours.)

4. When you’re ready to serve, pour away the strained liquid from the yoghurt bowl and scrape the labneh from the cloth onto a plate. Make a little dip in the middle with the back of a spoon, then pour in the hot butter. I like to serve with bread for dipping.

Labneh with pul biber brown butter (atom mezze)