Keeping Warm Yoghurt from Parting Wheys

You'll have to pardon the pun in the title, but if you ever tried to warm yoghurt, stir it into something hot or make a warm yoghurt sauce, you will appreciate what I mean. Yoghurt notoriously separates when warmed just that one degree more than what it feels comfortable about.

Yoghurt, the lesser of the two caloric evils when wheying...er...weighing it's value against creme fraiche curdles when stirred into a hot soup, separates when trying to warm it enough to use with hot foods. Even topped over meat, such as lamb or chicken and baked, well, less than satisfying.

But, I have my wheys...sorry, veys...er ways. I borrow a trick from Indian cooking and stir in a teaspoon or so of flour into about a 250 ml. cup of yoghurt. That gets stirred into the hot whatever and you can keep it just under the simmer or even forget a moment and it will NOT separate.

So, you can make a nice, quick, warm yoghurt sauce for vegetables such as asparagus or any other vegetable you may want to dip it into - broccoli, carrot, cauliflower and on baked potato? Ummm, yes! Just season as you like...a little lemon juice, chives, a little melted butter or olive oil. Stir fresh chopped dill into it or other favourite combination. Or garlic. Make it spicy with a little favourite 'heat' such as harissa, sambal olek. Use it with salmon.

And me? All of the above - not because I am concerned about calories but because I really like yoghurt, especially the yoghurt I make from the goat's milk I can get here.

What did I have for lunch today? Just something simple. I cooked a simple pilaf with basmati rice and lambbroth I had unthawed. Warmed the yoghurt with the flour, added a few drops of lemon, lots of dill, mint and parsley. Mounded the rice in a small volcano, poured over the sauce and drizzled with a little melted butter - something borrowed from turkish cuisine. Oh yes, I garnished with pan toasted almonds and pinenuts (staples I always have on hand). Salad of cucumber, tomato and red onion. A glass of red wine, soothing music...

My tastebuds and I were in heaven over this simple fare. My husband frowned as he worked his way through his steak and potatoes, thankful for that and not what I was having - the thought of yoghurt makes HIM curdle!

Hey! The cook has to cook for 'her' sometimes, no?