How does a baked block of feta, cherry tomatoes, and a few pasta – all blended collectively – sound to you? For millions of fans on TikTok, the mix has gone down a storm.
But if you wish to understand how else you need to use that slab of deliciously salty and crumbly Greek cheese in your cooking, look no additional. We requested cooks how they’d cook dinner with a block of feta, and right here’s what they mentioned.
1. Roasted feta with spices
“Try it roasted whole, sprinkled with Dukkah (middle eastern spices), olive oil and a punnet of cherry tomatoes,” says Charlotte Pike, cookery e book creator.
Asimakis Chaniotis, government chef of Michelin-starred restaurant Pied à Terre, agrees that by itself works properly. “One of my all-time favourite recipes is Feta Bouyiourdi – it’s where we take a big piece of feta, place it in an oven dish and cover it with grated tomatoes, garlic, sliced peppers, onions and oregano.
“Use the ripest tomatoes you can find for this and bake it at 350°F, covered with foil, until the veggies are softened. Then, remove the foil and place under a hot grill at 425°F until the cheese is a nice golden color. Serve with some crusty bread.”
2. Feta in flatbread with recent salad
Chef Ben Tish, culinary director of the Stafford Collection, says he’d grill the entire slab below a highly regarded grill till browned and caramelized, then sprinkle over some chopped pink chilli, a drizzle of honey and a few picked recent thyme leaves. “I’d then give it another minute grilling and then serve with some warm flat bread and a spinach and cucumber salad,” he provides.
3. Fried feta with gently warmed figs
Masterchef champion Simon Wood suggests a saganaki-style dish of fried feta served with recent natural honey and gently warmed figs or peaches. You’ll want a pack of feta, two eggs crushed, 100g flour, olive oil, 5 tbsp honey, and two small peaches or ripe figs. To make the feta saganaki, lower every block of feta in half to make two even items about 2cm thick, Dip them into the crushed egg, then coat fully with flour, repeat this course of to present a pleasant coating.
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4. Marinated feta for the fridge
Gemma Simmonite, proficient chef and co-founder of Gastrono-me, says her favorite (and a simple) means to make use of feta is to marinate it. She suggests utilizing olive oil, three cloves of garlic, a small chilli, chopped recent herbs together with mint, oregano and thyme, 1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes, one bay leaf and a small pinch of peppercorns.
“In a large sterilised jar, combine all the marinade ingredients, pull down the lid tightly and give a really good shake,” she says. “Add the feta and you’re done! The flavour will keep on developing and it keeps in the fridge for three weeks.”
5. Baked feta with heat pitta
Cesar Fernandez, chef at Miele GB, says one of the simplest ways to cook dinner a complete slab of feta is to bake it complete with candy roasted peppers and thinly sliced pink onions for 20-25 minutes – “the veg will get a little sweeter after cooking in the oven with the cheese. Serve with a warm pitta bread for a delicious, easy lunch.”
6. Almond-crusted feta
Chef Irini Tzortzoglou suggests an almond-crusted slab. “Dust it with flour, dip in beaten egg, dust in Panko breadcrumbs and almond flakes, and shallow fry in very good extra virgin olive oil for a couple of minutes each side. Accompany it with a salad with fruit like strawberries or pomegranates, and a pomegranate molasses dressing.”
7. Feta blended with grains
Marwa Alkhalaf, chef at Nutshell, Covent Garden, says bake your feta to the melting level and never additional so it doesn’t get clumpy. Then, combine it with grains – “it doesn’t have to be pasta! The saltiness and creaminess of the feta goes perfectly with any type of grains, legumes or even vegetables. Think farro, maftul, butter beans, chickpeas or even cauliflower.
“Finally, balance the richness of your feta with some acidity and freshness with a sprinkle of sumac or lemon zest or your herb of choice.”
8. Feta folded into scrambled eggs
Chef Simmonite additionally recommends having feta for breakfast by cooking scrambled eggs, then folding your feta into them – making them silky, tacky and scrumptious.