Labneh Sandwich
Sourdough toast topped with labneh, olives, a mix of pickled vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil makes a tangy, delicious, satisfying vegetarian sandwich.
Servings 1 open-faced sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 slice sourdough bread
- labneh (see Kitchen Notes)
- olives (see Kitchen Notes)
- pickled things (see Kitchen Notes)
- fresh cherry tomatoes cut in half, or diced fresh tomato
- za’atar (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon or more chopped fresh mint
For the dressing
- olive oil
- pomegranate molasses (see Kitchen Notes)
Instructions
- Make the olive oil pomegranate dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses. Whisk whisk whisk until it is relatively smooth. It is going to separate pretty quickly, so do this just before you want to deploy it. The Corn on the Corner guys use their own “48-hour pomegranate infused olive oil,” but if I had waited 48 hours, I would have lost my mind. You can also just use olive oil.
- Make the sandwich. Toast a slice of bread, then put it on a plate. Spread generously with labneh, 2 – 4 tablespoons labneh (depending on the size of the bread). Then top with olives, various pickles, fresh tomato, za'atar and fresh mint. Finally, drizzle with the pomegranate-olive oil dressing. That’s it. Serve at room temperature.
Kitchen Notes
What’s labneh? It’s a light fresh spreadable cheese made from yogurt—not as dense as cream cheese and way more tangy. The Corn on the Corner guys recommend Uncle Sam’s Labneh, a brand I believe is primarily available in Michigan. Use your favorite brand—if you don’t have a favorite brand, I recommend asking someone in the shop or just picking one at random. When I have no idea which of a thing I should choose, I ask myself which has the label that most appeals to me, and I go with that. Never fails.
Which olives? We used a mix of grilled Greek olives and green olives stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes (which were huge, so I sliced them)—we got these at a grocery store olive bar. Use the olives you like best (jalapeño stuffed would be wonderful and are widely available in jars). I recommend avoiding the bland black olives packed in cans as well as the very salty, wrinkly, super intense kind, unless you were to dice them into bits and use them sparingly.
Which pickled things? As you see, we used pickled okra, sliced crosswise into small pieces. Giardiniera, little pickled cucumbers or pickled cauliflower or bits of kimchee would be great too.
What about the za’atar? Za'atar is a Middle Eastern mix of savory dried herbs. If you really cannot find it, you may substitute dried thyme, which is one of the main ingredients of za'atar.
What? No pistachios? We didn't have any on hand but definitely , if you've got 'em, use 'em. Scatter them on top at the end.
Liz’s Crockery Corner. Here in Liz’s Crockery Corner, we are usually not about modernism, but we make an exception for Russell Wright’s American Modern. Launched in 1939 and manufactured by Steubenville Pottery in Ohio, this dinnerware summed up Wright’s design philosophy: an industrial product that was intentionally affordable and mass-produced to stimulate the economy (still struggling in the Great Depression) while being well made, durable and a pleasing addition to any home. Indeed, American Modern became the best-selling dinnerware line of all time.
I love everything about American Modern, with its nods to Quaker simplicity and 20th century streamlining, its beautiful colors, its clean, straightforward, yet somehow soft and organic esthetic. We only have a few pieces of American Modern—this wonderful platter, a couple of creamers and a sugar bowl in an icy gray. Vintage American Modern is still very affordable. And, in fact, this line is still being made, at maybe a not so modest price point, by the Bauer Pottery Company in Los Angeles.