HUEVOS LIBANESES LEBANESE-STYLE EGGS

Mexico is a melting pot of cultures and culinary inf l uences. The Lebanese are one of the more recent groups to have settled there, and at markets in places such as Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz, pan árabe (freshly baked pita) and labneh (strained yogurt cheese) are sold alongside tortillas and chiles. Labneh is a key ingredient in huevos Libaneses and is easy to make from scratch if your market doesn’t sell it. In my version, eggs are baked in ramekins on top of sautéed minced onion and serrano chiles that keep the cooked egg from sticking. Right when they come out of the oven, you slide a dollop of tangy labneh under each one so that it melts, blending together with the hot yolk after the egg is pierced. Sprinkle with za’atar—a blend of sumac, thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, and salt— and serve with warm pitas instead of tortillas. While you can fi nd labneh for sale at some markets, it’s very easy to make at home. The process is similar to making fresh ricotta, only you strain yogurt instead of cooked milk. You can make it interesting by adding minced fresh herbs or experimenting with different kinds of yogurt. Goat’s milk yogurt, for instance, will make labneh that tastes more like chèvre. After an hour or two, it will resemble ricotta. After 8 hours, it will have the texture of cream cheese.

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

To make the labneh: Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and set the colander over a bowl. In a second bowl, combine the yogurt, salt, lemon juice, and herbs. Pour the mixture into the colander and set aside to drain, or gather the edges of the cheesecloth and suspend it over the sink, hanging it from the faucet. The liquid (whey) will drain out, leaving just the solids behind. After a few hours (8 hours at most), open the cheesecloth and scrape the labneh into a container with a lid. It will keep in the sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Step 2

When you’re ready to make the eggs, preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.

Step 3

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Drop in the onion and chiles at the same time (the onion keeps the chiles from burning). Sauté, stirring constantly, until the onion is translucent but has not browned. Add the salt.

Step 4

Divide the sautéed onion-chile mixture evenly among four to six 8 oz / 240ml ramekins or other oven-safe dishes. Immediately crack 2 eggs into each ramekin, place on a baking sheet, and bake for about 8 minutes, until the whites have set. (You want the yolks to stay a little runny.) After 5 minutes, add the foil-wrapped package of pitas to the oven to warm while the eggs cook.

Step 5

Remove the ramekins and pitas from the oven, tuck a spoonful of labneh beneath each egg, and sprinkle with the za’atar. Cut the warm pitas into wedges, wrap them in a dish towel, and place in a basket.

Step 6

Serve the ramekins with the pitas for people to sop up the tangy, creamy juices.

Step 7

HUEVOS LIBANESES SKILLET VARIATION If you want less fuss, you can also gently crack all of your eggs right on top of the sautéed onion and chiles into the skillet and place the whole thing in the oven. Then, when the eggs are baked, sprinkle them with za’atar and spoon each egg, together with some of the hot onion-chile relish, on top of a spoonful of labneh that you’ve placed on each person’s plate. It’s slightly less elegant but just as delicious.