Saffron and hot spices, sweet tomato flesh, clean acidic yogurt, there is an irresistible interplay of flavours here. Try to make sure you get some of the saffron juices to smear the labneh; the golden streaks on creamy white yoghurt look beautiful.
plum: tomatoes 18
olive oil
harissa: 2 tspsaffron: a good pinch, plus more to serve
golden caster sugar: ½ tbsp
Arab flatbread: to serve
flaked almonds: 15g, lightly toasted
lemon: ½, juiced
extra-virgin olive oil: 4 tbsp
coriander leaves: 2 tbsp of chopped LABNEH
Greek yoghurt: 400g
garlic: 2 cloves, crushed
coriander, mint or parsley leaves: 3 tbsp finely of chopped
• Make the labneh the day before you want to serve the dish. Line a sieve with a piece of muslin or a brand new J-cloth and set it over a bowl. Mix the yoghurt with the garlic, herbs and some salt and pepper. Tip into the cloth, tie it up and chill. The yoghurt will lose moisture over the next 24 hours, leaving a firmer, ‘cheese-like’ substance. Help it along by giving it a squeeze every so often.
• To make the tomatoes heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Halve the tomatoes and lay them in a single layer in a large roasting tin (or two small tins). Mix 4 tbsp olive oil, harissa and saffron and pour over
the tomatoes. Turn the tomatoes over in the oil to make sure they are well coated, ending with them cut side up. Sprinkle with the sugar and season. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly shrunken. Leave to cool a little.
• Take the labneh out of its cloth. Carefully move the tomatoes (they are quite fragile and can fall apart easily) to a serving platter, dotting nuggets of the labneh among them as you go. You can also toast the flatbread, break it up, and arrange it among the tomatoes as well (or serve it on the side). Pour on any cooking juices which have collected in the tomato roasting tin, being sure to douse the flatbread if you have included it within the dish.
• Scatter the almonds over the top, then heat another good pinch of saffron stamens with the lemon juice in a small saucepan. Add 4 tbsp extra-virgin oil and mix with a spoon. Spoon over the dish; the golden dressing
looks beautiful against the white labneh. Scatter with the coriander and serve warm, or at room temperature.