Greek yogurt labneh balls

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Anne Halson’s greek yogurt labneh balls using Retro Organics whole milk and Basil & Parsley’s herbs. Check out more recipes from Anne at her food blog – Fresh Kitchen.
Labneh balls have a clean, fresh flavour and go oh so well with breads, crostini or bruschetta.

Ingredients:

2 pots of Retro Organics lactose free plain yogurt
1 large garlic clove (grated)
1 small lemon (zested)
1 tbsp flakey sea salt
1 generous cup of fresh herbs (chopped)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:
• Tip the two pots of yogurt into a large bowl and add the grated clove of garlic, lemon zest and flakey sea salt.
• Mix this well and pour into a strainer held over another bowl lined with a muslin cloth.

• Leave to strain on the bench for a couple of hours then drain off the whey as necessary (you can save this to use in baking or smoothies if you like). Next, cover the mix and put in the refrigerator over night.


• The next day, chop a good cup of herbs finely (any soft herbs will work, I chose chervil and chives this time but tarragon, parsley and a little thyme or maybe lemon thyme, mint, dill, or fennel tops would all work).

• Take smallish teaspoons of the labneh mix and roll them into balls, then roll through your chopped herbs to coat. It seems to work best to leave these to set for a while before putting them in a jar.
• Place the herbed balls in a jar covered with a good layer of oil. For the oil you want a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Consider the flavour of the oil, the herbs you intend to use and how you plan to eat your labneh balls when making your selection.
The labneh balls are ready to eat straight away but also will keep in the fridge a week or more (remember that the olive oil will set in fridge, so you need to set the jar out at room temperature for a while before use). These are great on any antipasta plate or as a spread on your favourite bread or crackers.

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Cooking demonstration with Master Chef contestant Sushil Ravikumar
Join us this Saturday, November 16 at 6:30pm
(you can book by calling 03-442-4161)
Sushil will be cooking an Indian inspired menu including:
  • Chicken 65, a spicy, deep fried chicken dish from South India served with a mint yogurt chutney.
  • Goat Rogan Josh curry, an aromatic and flavourful meat dish from Northern India.
  • Veg Pulao, a fragrant rice cooked with onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes & whole garam masala spices.

The menu will be accompanied with a variety of Northburn wines, carefully selected for each course and introduced by Paul Tudgay from Northburn Station.



Day 1 of our 10 year anniversary celebrations!
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Our 10 days of anniversary celebrations are under way! Our bakers Jenny and Anova made a wonderful 10 layer cake which we enjoyed with a lovely Brut courtesy of Quarts Reef Wines. A number of our favourite suppliers were also sharing their fine foods in tasting demonstrations throughout the day, including Provisions, European Bakery, Quina Fina, Waitiri Creek Wines and Pigeon Rock Olive Oil. From today until November 20th, we’ll be highlighting different wines, cheeses, meats and a host of other goodies. Come by and have a taste – especially of our chocolate cake which happens to be AMAZING!
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