Roasted rhubarb with sweet labneh

Serves 4-6 For the sweet labneh, you will need:

• 500g natural yoghurt

• 2 teaspoons runny honey

• 1 teaspoon rose water

• A pinch of saffron strands

• 25g pistachios (shelled, then toasted and roughly chopped)

For the roasted rhubarb, you will need:

• 3 rhubarb stalks

• 2-3 tablespoons of caster sugar

1 First, make the labneh. Put a sieve sitting over a bowl, then put a 30cm x 30cm, or bigger, piece of muslin into the sieve, draping it over the sides. Tip the natural yoghurt into the muslinlined sieve (see my Top Tip, above right) and bring the muslin edges together.

Tie the muslin with string and secure the muslin bag so that it hangs over the bowl, enabling the whey to drip from the bag into the bowl.

2 After about two hours, you’ll see that quite a bit of whey has dripped from the yoghurt in the muslin bag. Check the consistency of the yoghurt. If it’s still a bit thin, allow it to drip for a longer time. The dripping time will depend on the fat content of the yoghurt. Once you are happy with the labneh, discard the whey, or drink it (see Rachel Recommends). 3 Now tip the labneh into a mixing bowl, and add in the honey, the rose water and the saffron strands. Put the sweet labneh in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. 4

To roast the rhubarb, preheat the oven to 230°C, 450°F, Gas 8. Trim the rhubarb and wash and dry the stalks. Cut the stalks into approximately 2cm-3cm pieces and spread them out on a baking tray or roasting tray. Sprinkle the caster sugar over the top and roast the rhubarb in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until it is tender and juicy. 5

To serve, put a blob of sweet labneh on each plate, make a slight dip in the centre, and spoon over some of the roasted rhubarb. Drizzle the rhubarb with the roasting juices, then scatter the chopped toasted pistachios over the top.