Italian Marinated Pressed Yogurt: Big hit. Summer delight. Definite repeat.

Italian Marinated Pressed Yogurt Balls: Big hit. Summer delight. Definite repeat.

Sometimes the best culinary adventures start with… not me. As much as I love to cook—especially for my family—I can fall into a bit of a routine. So when I need a creative jolt in the kitchen, I encourage my husband to do the grocery shopping.

That’s how my homemade salsa verde came to be (after he came home with a surprise can of tomatillos). And this summer? He returned with a giant container of pressed yogurt, also known as labneh.

Now what, exactly, was I supposed to do with that?

After a little poking around, I landed on a few recipes for Italian Marinated Pressed Yogurt Balls—and that’s where the magic started. I followed a basic method but gave it my own twist by adding lemon-thyme from my herb garden 🌿🍋 and infusing the olive oil with a little extra lemon zest. The result? Bright, creamy, tangy little bites that felt like sunshine in a jar.

Once marinated for a few days, we enjoyed them:

·       On crisp, textured crackers (my Raincoast Crisps were perfect)

·       Tossed into hot pasta with freshly picked sweet pea pods 🌱

·       Layered on summer salads with cucumbers and garden-fresh tomatoes

Honestly, the variations are endless—and that’s before you even get to the infused oil leftover at the end, which makes a gorgeous drizzle for roasted veg, grilled chicken, or even a hunk of crusty bread. 🧄🍋

Italian Marinated Pressed Yogurt Balls Recipe

Special Note: 1. The marinade ingredients are all flexible here depending on the size of the jar, size of the balls, etc…the point is to have sufficient flavour and for the balls to be submerged in the marinade. 2. Allow to come to room temperature to fully enjoy flavour.

Ingredients:

• 2c Pressed yogurt

• 1/3c Olive oil, plus extra if needed to cover the balls

• Lemon zest

• Fresh lemon thyme

• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

• Red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. In a measuring cup, combine 1/3c olive oil, lemon zest, leaves from fresh lemon thyme (about a good Tbsp), sliced garlic and red pepper flakes (about 1tsp)

2. Clean marinating jar, including a boiling water rinse.

3. Pour a few tablespoons of the marinade into the jar.

4. Start rolling the pressed yogurt into desired size of balls, about 1”. Keeping hands lightly oiled makes this a little easier.

5. After a couple of layers, add more of the marinade.

6. Continue until all the pressed yogurt is rolled.

7. If more marinade is needed, top off with oil.

8. Seal and tip back and forth to circulate the marinade and the spices.

9. Store in fridge

10. .To get the best flavour, wait a few days for the marinade to do its job.

11. Allow to warm up to near to room temperature to fully enjoy the flavour.