That delicious age-old ingredient yoghurt is more popular than ever these days, and when you consider that it's been around for nearly 8000 years, that's saying something.
Not many foods are as versatile and universal as yoghurt, which is good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can be sweet or savoury and is found all over the world, from Mongolia to Norway, from Qatar to India.
Lamb cutlets with green yoghurt.Credit:William Meppem
Yoghurt is good for us: high in calcium, protein and beneficial bacteria, and its recent boom means you can find excellent varieties in the shops. (I would recommend "full-fat" yoghurt, which usually contains about the same amount of fat as milk, while low-fat varieties are often packed with sugar.)
Creamy texture and light sourness make yoghurt a very useful ingredient in the kitchen. I use it in dressings, marinades and even pancakes, or mixed with whipped cream to balance a sweet pavlova.
Caramelised pineapple with easy frozen yoghurt.Credit:William Meppem
But for some more interesting ways with yoghurt, maybe give these recipes a try.
Lamb cutlets with green yoghurt
Serves 4
You won't even notice the anchovies in this green yoghurt sauce, but they provide a necessary savoury hit. If you really want to leave them out, you can substitute a tablespoon of fish sauce instead.
• 150g baby spinach
• ½ cup chopped mint
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (plus lemon wedges, to serve)
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 4 anchovies, chopped
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for cooking
• 16 lamb cutlets
Place the spinach in a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Place the spinach, mint, lemon juice, capers, parsley, anchovies, coriander, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a blender and purée until smooth. Stir in the yoghurt to the purée until combined and check seasoning.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove and set aside to rest for 2 minutes. Serve with the green yoghurt and lemon wedges.
Caramelised pineapple with easy frozen yoghurt
Serves 4
You don't need an ice-cream maker to enjoy this simple frozen yoghurt!
Paired with caramelised pineapple, this is a lovely dessert for warm weather.
For the frozen yoghurt
• 500g Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• ¼ cup icing sugar, sifted
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pineapple, skin removed, cut into thick, long wedges
• 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 10g butter
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• pinch salt
• mint leaves and finely grated lime rind, to serve
For the frozen yoghurt, combine the yoghurt, vanilla seeds, icing sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Transfer the yoghurt mixture to a shallow container and freeze for 2 hours. Remove the container from the freezer and transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Return the yoghurt to the container and freeze for a further hour or until set.
Toss the pineapple wedges with 2 tbsp of the brown sugar in a bowl. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the pineapple wedges, turning occasionally for 5 minutes or until caramelised, then transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and rum to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until sugar has dissolved and has thickened slightly. Season with a pinch of salt. Serve the pineapple with the frozen yoghurt and syrup. Garnish with mint leaves and lime rind.
Adam's tip
Making your own yoghurt is very easy. All you need is some existing good-quality plain yoghurt (to provide the cultures needed) and some good, fresh milk. There are lots of helpful guides online that show the simple process for producing excellent homemade yoghurt.
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