Imagine

February 01, 2013

I opened the packaging and smelled. And it was like I was instantly transported to the Mediterranean shores. I feel the hot and dry air on my skin and breath the gentle sea breeze. The sun reaches the zenith. I hear the shrill sound of cicadas coming from the maquis and I am offered to taste beautiful dishes seasoned with aromatic oregano.

It's all imaginary. The truth is that I've never been to Sicily where this oregano originally comes from. My mind has woven my own experience and memories from my time in Puglia -the southernmost I've been in Italy- and documentaries I've seen on the renowned volcanic island of Sicily. Just the power of imagination. Simply triggered by a scent.

Now, it's your turn. I invite you to pick one of these labneh balls coated in fragrant oregano and preserved in a delicate olive oil. I let you spread it on a flat bread and allow your senses appreciate the flavours and textures. There's a chance that you too will travel for a short moment to sunny shores...

And speaking of seaside, Paprika and I will be away for a couple of days. I'll surely share about our little break as soon as we are back.

Oregano Labneh Makes 6 to 8 balls

335g yogurt / 1 cup 1/2 yogurt 1/4 tsp sea salt 7 tbsp dry oregano Olive oil

Place the yogurt in a muslin cloth and let it drain overnight or for several hours. Mix in the salt and adjust to your liking. With a teaspoon scoop yogurt and roll in the dry oregano to coat. They can be served right away with a drizzle of olive oil or placed in a jar filled with olive oil and kept in the fridge.

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

J'ai ouvert le paquet et c'était comme si j'étais directement transportée au bord de la Méditerranée. Je sens l'air chaud et sec sur ma peau et je respire la subtile brise marine. Le soleil est au zénith. J'entends le son strident des cigales provenant du maquis et l'on me propose de goûter à de délicieux plats assaisonnés à l'origan.

Tout est imaginaire. La vérité est que ne suis jamais allée en Sicile, d'où provient originellement cet origan. Mon esprit a entremêlé ma propre expérience et souvenirs de mon temps passé dans les Pouilles -La partie la plus méridionale que j'ai visité en Italie- et les reportages vus sur l'île volcanique de renom. Le pouvoir de l'imagination. Stimulée par un simple arôme.

A votre tour à présent.  Je vous invite à vous servir une de ces boules de labneh recouvertes de l'aromatique origan et conservées dans une délicate huile d'olive. Je vous laisse l'étaler sur du pain plat et vous laisse apprécier avec tous vos sens le goût et les textures. Il y a des chances que vous aussi vous voyagiez l'espace d'un moment sur une côte ensoleillée...

Et en parlant de bord de mer, Paprika et moi partons pour quelques jours. Je ne manquerai pas de vous faire part de notre petite escapade dès notre retour...   

Comments

It is interesting in our modern world what information flows through our computers into our mind. First I had this in my inbox and then your post. I must admit I prefer reading about the smell of Oregano rather than smog in China. Cheers Peter Peter Niepel

I love this herb and could not live without it. A beautiful and simple, yet refined and heavenly combination. Cheers, Rosa Rosa Mayland

Those look so delicious! And your photos are just gorgeous. Kocinera

Peter, we agree on that one. Rosa, excellent to flavour grilled meat too. Kocinera, thank you ! Heather, thank you ;) Sylvie, were are both fans of simple pleasure ! Nic, yogurt is so versatile ! Vanille

So pretty and tasty that labneh! I do enjoy it with oregano as well. heather

A simple pleasure, the fragrance of herbs are transporting. Sylvie Shirazi (@gourmandeinthek)

That’s amazing that you can turn yoghurt into those lovely, delicious looking balls of goodness - wonderful! Nic