Summer Salad of Courgette, Flat Peach & Labneh
After visiting the Natoora stall at the “Taste of London” fair in 2017, I was inspired to create this summer salad of courgette, flat peach and Labneh.
The courgette is prepared two ways: marinated and griddled. The courgette combo marries perfectly with the peach and creamy labneh and labneh is so easy to make – if you have the time. But if you don’t want to wait until tomorrow for your labneh to drain, you could use mozzarella di bufala or Burrata.
When preparing labneh, most recipes call for set to be added to the yoghurt. I prefer not to add salt as I will dress and season the salad later.
Ingredients
2 medium sized courgettes – preferably organic; 1 thin slice straight, 1 slightly thicker angled
2-3 flat peaches
500g good quality Greek yoghurt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon juice
Basil leaves
Mint leaves
Himalayan Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
For the labneh, put the Greek yoghurt into muslin, tie it up creating a ball and suspend it over a bowl in the fridge – to collect the whey. Leave to drain for 12 – 24 hrs.
For the salad, marinate the thiner slices in a bowl with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and basil leaves. Set aside for 30 minutes. In a hot griddle pan, cook the thicker slices, a minute or so on either side or until they acquire their golden stripes. Once cooked, mix together with the marinated courgette slices before transferring to the serving platter. Remove your set labneh from the muslin and place in the centre of the salad. Add the torn peach and finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, a grind of pepper and a few fresh mint leaves.
James and the flat peach x
