Roasted roots, fennel & squash with labneh

Roasted roots, fennel & squash with labneh

Autumn

Labneh is a Greek yoghurt cheese made by salting and straining natural yoghurt until it is thick and creamy. You can buy it in good delicatessens, but it’s so easy to make at home, I wouldn’t bother. Labneh is usually made from cow’s milk yoghurt, but I love the flavour of this sheep’s yoghurt version even more, especially with a warm salad, like this one.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 onion squash or butternut squash (about 1–1.5kg/2lb 4oz–3lb 5oz)
  • 4 small beetroot (each about golf-ball size)
  • 1⁄2 celeriac
  • 1 fennel bulb, with fronds (fronds optional)
  • 2 red onions
  • 1 garlic bulb, cloves separated but skin left on
  • 4–5 thyme sprigs
  • 4–5 rosemary sprigs
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • about 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • 1⁄2 lemon, for squeezing
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the labneh

  • 500ml (17fl oz) plain, whole sheep’s or cow’s yoghurt
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method

First, make the labneh. You’ll need to do this 6–8 hours before you want to eat the dish, but you can even start it several days in advance. Place the yoghurt in a bowl, add the salt and stir it in. Line a large sieve with muslin or cheesecloth. Spoon the salted yoghurt into the cloth, then gather up the sides and tie at the top. I like to suspend the yoghurt pouch over a bowl to drain, but you can leave it sitting in its sieve over a bowl. Transfer to the fridge and leave for 6–8 hours, or longer. When a significant amount of liquid has drained into the bowl and the yoghurt has the texture of thick crème fraîche or clotted cream, transfer the labneh into a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate. Pour off any further liquid before serving.

To prepare the dish, heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Halve and deseed the squash. Cut each half into 3–4cm (1¼–1½in) wedges. Arrange the wedges in a large roasting tin. Scrub and halve the beetroots. Peel the celeriac and cut it into 3–4cm (1¼–1½in) pieces. Trim the fennel, reserving any green fronds. Remove the outer leaves, then halve the bulb, and cut each half into three or four wedges. Peel the onions and cut them into wedges, root to tip. Add the vegetables to the tin with the squash, along with the garlic, thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds, and the reserved fennel fronds. Season well, trickle everything with olive oil and toss together.

Roast the veg for 30 minutes, gently stir and then roast for 15–20 minutes more, or until everything is tender and beginning to colour. Remove from the oven, stir again and cool for 15–20 minutes.

To serve, spoon a thick layer of labneh over the base of a large bowl or serving platter. Heap the warm vegetables, herbs and all the roasting juices on top of the labneh, squeeze over the lemon juice, and finish with a trickle more olive oil and some salt and pepper.

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