Roast Beetroot & Labneh Salad with Basil Dressing - Serves 4

Labneh is a simple cheese made by straining yoghurt.

Salad:

• 500g natural yoghurt
• 4 small raw beetroot
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• ½ a cucumber
• 1 red pepper (red or yellow)
• 100g salad leaves (rocket, spinach, lambs lettuce etc)
• 2 tbsp pine nuts

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove
• Small bunch of fresh basil (around 40g)
• Pinch of salt, twist of pepper

1. To make the labneh you will need a paper coffee filter, a small nylon sieve and a bowl. Put the coffee filter into the sieve. Spoon all the yoghurt into the filter. It will just fit! Put the sieve over the bowl and put into the fridge. Leave overnight. After about 24 hours whey will have drained out of the yoghurt into the bowl. The yoghurt will be very thick like a soft cheese. If the yoghurt is allowed to strain for another two days it can then be shaped into small balls and submerged in olive oil. This will keep in the fridge for a week at least.
2. Pre-heat oven to 180C, 160 fan or gas 4. Wrap each beetroot in tin foil and bake in the oven for around an hour and a half, or until soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then peel and slice thinly.
3. To make the dressing cut the stalky end off the basil and peel the garlic. Put the leaves, garlic and all the other dressing ingredients in a jug and blend with a hand blender until thoroughly chopped.
4. Thinly slice the cucumber, cut the tomatoes in half, de-seed and slice the pepper into thin strips. Wash the salad leaves and spin to dry in a salad spinner.
5. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan. Simply heat the pan, add the nuts and remove from the heat once browning – this only takes a minute or so.
6. To assemble the salad, arrange the leaves and vegetables in a large bowl. Top with the beetroot and labneh. Either spoon small heaps of the labneh onto the beetroot or form into balls as described above. Finally sprinkle over the pine nuts and drizzle on some dressing – you won’t need all the dressing, it will keep for a week in the fridge. Serve with crusty bread.