Simple to make and visually stunning, this beetroot labneh works well as a pre-dinner dip or as part of a more substantial family lunch.
“I first made this ‘pink labneh’ with my two young sons – one who loves labneh and one who loves everything pink – as a way of reintroducing them to beetroot. Both gladly ate beetroot as babies, but later shunned it when they hit their selective eating phases during their toddler years. Its vibrant colour and earthy flavour won them over and it is fast becoming a family favourite.”
You will need to make this the day before you want to eat it as the labneh needs to sit in the fridge to strain over night.
Ingredients:
150g cooked beetroot, peeled
250g whole milk yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt (optional)
To serve:
2 tbsp toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
A few fronds of dill
Walnut oil (optional)
Method:
Put the cooked, peeled beetroot into a food processor or blender and blitz to a purée.
In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, beetroot puree and salt until combined (leave the salt out if you are making this for babies or young children).
Line a sieve with a piece of muslin and place it over a bowl. Put the beetroot mixture into the muslin-lined sieve. Draw up the sides of the muslin and twist together so that the beetroot mixture forms a ball. Leave in the fridge for 12-24 hours to strain.
Put the beetroot labneh into a serving dish and top with chopped toasted walnuts, dill and, if you have some, a little walnut oil. Serve with crackers, crispbread or crudités.