Labneh & Za'atar Dip With Pomegranates & Pistachios

Adapted from a recipe by Two Purple Figs

This Labneh & Za'atar Dip is a favourite and most certainly a crowd pleaser because of how pretty it looks. It's a go to recipe especially when entertaining as it's easy to put together and goes well with many dishes. It's wonderfully creamy and the aromatic za'atar adds a lovely earthiness. The sweet and tart pomegranates add freshness to the dish balancing out all the flavours.

Note: the measurements below are approximate and can easily be adjusted to your liking.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

650 grams Greek yogurt
A small pinch of salt
5-6 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil
2.5 tbsps of za'atar (we recommend Dina's Omani Za'atar Blend)
A large handful of pomegranate arils
A large handful of roughly chopped pistachios

METHOD:

Mix the yogurt and salt and put the mixture into a large thin mesh sieve over a bowl. Leave to strain for at least 8-10 hours so the moisture has drained out as much as possible. You should have a very thick consistency - thicker than cream cheese. This is your labneh. (You can do this step a day in advance and store the labneh in an airtight container in the fridge).
Mix the olive oil and za'atar together in a bowl and leave to infuse for a few hours - overnight is fine too. It should be a a thick pouring consistency so adjust the quantities if needed.
Just before serving, spread the labneh thickly on a flat or slightly shallow serving plate. Drizzle it generously with the za'atar and olive oil mixture, followed by the pomegranate arils and pistachios. (make sure you take the labneh out of the fridge half an hour before serving)
Sprinkle with some additional za'atar if you wish and an added drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with crispy pitta chips - ideally try to use Arabic 'khubz' bread as it is thinner and crisps up really well. To make these, cut the flat bread into triangles, brush with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some za'atar. Bake in the oven at 150 celsius for 5-6 mins. They will crisp up even more once cooled.

This recipe was adapted from Two Purple Figs. Find their recipe here.