First, let’s clear out the terminology.

If you have been following this blog for a while you should know what labneh is but allow me to explain makdous. Makdous (also called magdoos) is one of the staples in the Levantine pantry. Simply put, it is tiny stuffed eggplants that are pickled and preserved in olive oil. The stuffing is a combination of walnuts, red pepper, garlic, and salt. Some like it hot so they add chili pepper. The combination of the tangy pickled eggplant with the nutty crunch of the walnuts and the flavor punch from the garlic and chili is beyond addictive! I will do my best to post a step by step “how to” for making makdous soon but until then, if you have a jar of makdous in your pantry, today’s recipe is your chance to take your salad to a whole new level!

As you go through the recipe you will notice that the salad is really simple, greens, labneh, makdous and dressing. The idea here is to allow the flavors of the creamy labneh and tangy makdous to shine on a canvas of greens. The sweet tanginess of the pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette beautifully coats the greens and ties everything together.

Labneh and makdous salad with pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette

 

• Bag of mixed salad greens (you can also use kale, lettuce, baby spinach, arugula or a combination of all those)
• 5 balls of Muwasem labneh
• 4 mawasem makdous eggplants cut into 1 cm slices

Pomegranate balsamic salad dressing

Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
one clove of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

1. Prepare the dressing
   Add all the ingredients to a jar, close the lid and give it a good shake.Set aside
2. Place the salad greens in a bowl, add the salad dressing and toss to coat
3. Arrange the greens in a serving bowl
4. Top with the labneh balls and makdous slices

 

سلطة المكدوس و اللبنه

اوراق خضراء (يمكنكم استخدام الخس او السبانخ او الكيل او الجرجير او خليط منها)
5 كرات لبنة
4 حبات مكدوس مقطعه لدوائر
للصلصه:
عصير ليمونه واحده (حوالي  ربع كوب)
ربع كوب زيت الزيتون
ربع كوب أو 4 ملاعق طعام من الخل البلسمك
ربع كوب أو 4 ملاعق طعام من دبس الرمان
نصف ملعقة صغيرة من النعناع المجفف
نصف ملعقة صغيرة من الزعتر الاخضر المجفف
نصف ملعقة صغيرة من الملح
الفلفل الأسود حسب الرغبة

نقوم بإضافة كافة مكونات الصلصه  إلى مرطبان نغلق الغطاء ونهزه حتى تختلط المكونات. يمكنكم أيضا القيام بذلك في الخلاط
عند التقديم نضيف الصلصه للاوراق الخضراء و نقلب
نرتب الاوراق في طبق التقديم و نوزع اللبنه و المكدوس

Disclaimer: This post was created in collaboration with the Polish Aid program. They provided the products but the opinions and recipes in this post are completely my own.
The project supporting certification of “Mawasem” products is financed by the Polish Aid program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland”