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Pocketful of Shortcake

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 small lemon (or half a preserved lemon)
  • Salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • Pinch ground Aleppo chiles
  • 6 cups strawberries (3 pints), hulled and quartered or sliced
  • 1 1/3 cup labneh (or fresh goat cheese)
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs (like mint, dill, basil, or parsley; alone or in combination), plus a few leaves for garnish
  • 12 mini or 4 large pocket pita bread

Instructions

  1. Trim the ends from the lemon, halve it and remove the tough core and seeds. (Or grab half a preserved lemon.) Mince the lemon flesh and skin into bits and put it into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt if (it’s not preserved) and mash with a fork to release the juice and oils from the zest. Stir in the olive oil, scallions, and Aleppo to taste.
  2. Add the strawberries and mash a little more with the fork so you have intact quarters (or slices) and some juicy, soft bits. Let the strawberries sit while getting everything else going.
  3. Put the labneh (or goat cheese) in a small bowl with the herbs and stir to combine. Add salt if you like, but I prefer the pure herb flavor with the dairy and instead season the strawberries. So taste the berries again and make sure you’ve got enough salt and Aleppo. To serve, snip the sides of the small pitas to reveal the pockets (or halve the large pitas). Spread a layer of the herbed labneh in the bottom and fill with the berries. Drizzle whatever juices remain and garnish with herb leaves.

— Recipe developed by Kerri Conan