Labne with salt-roasted beetroot, pickled onions and peas

SERVES 4 // PREP 20 MINS // COOK 2 HRS (PLUS DRAINING)

“Drained yoghurt, or labne, is at its best in spring when milk is at its most plentiful,” says Dunn. “Dollop it on salads, make dressings or make it the base of a dish such as this.” Start this recipe a day ahead to drain the yoghurt. Pictured p106.

1 kg Greek yoghurt 2 large (about 260gm each) beetroot, scrubbed 500 gm coarse sea salt 1 eggwhite 300 gm peas, podded 6 (about 300gm) mixed baby beetroot, trimmed and thinly sliced on a mandolin Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Sourdough bread, to serve

PICKLED ONION

2 Spanish onions, thinly shaved 1 tbsp fine sea salt 300 ml cider vinegar

1 For labne, place yoghurt in a fine sieve lined with muslin placed over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to drain.

2 Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place large beetroot in a small roasting dish. Combine salt and eggwhite in a bowl, then add enough water to form a paste the consistency of wet cement (about 60ml). Cover beetroot completely with salt paste and roast until tender (2-2¼ hours). Cool, then remove crust, peel and cut into thin wedges.

3 For pickled onion, combine onion and salt in a bowl and leave for 1 hour. Rinse salt from onion, drain well, then cover with cider vinegar and leave to pickle for 1 hour. Pickled onion will keep refrigerated for up to a week.

4 Blanch peas until bright green in a saucepan of boiling salted water (1-2 minutes; see cook’s notes p182), then drain and refresh under cold running water.

5 Season drained yoghurt to taste. Divide among bowls, arrange salt-baked and sliced beetroot on top, then scatter with peas and pickled onion. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with sourdough bread.