Recipes: Feta cheese adds extra oomph to these 3 dishes

In ragtag crumbles or genteel chunks, feta cheese gives a frisky flavor edge to food. Its salty, sour-sweet sharpness gives a classic Greek salad its signature taste; romaine, olives, cucumbers and red onions would be just another salad without feta’s tart earthiness. Its flavors also add oomph to everything from black beans to pasta to tacos.

Feta dates back thousands of years in Greece, where it’s made with goat’s milk or sheep’s milk. Today, in America, it generally is made commercially with cow’s milk. This rindless, bed-sheet-white cheese is cured and stored in a brine made with salt and either water or its own whey (the watery liquid that separates from the curd during the cheese-making process). Brining stops the ripening process, keeping the cheese fresh and flavorful. Because of this brining procedure, it’s often dubbed “pickled cheese.” And because of the salt content of the brine, this cheese acts as a salty element in recipes, something to keep in mind when adding salt to those dishes.

At about 264 calories for a 3 1/2-ounce serving (21 grams of fat), feta hovers midway between the higher-in-fat cheddars at about 403 calories and the low-in-fat part-skim ricottas at about 138 calories. Feta can range in texture from soft to semidry, and “fetaphiles” differ in their preferences. Made in Bulgaria, France, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Romania and Italy, as well as Greece and America, products vary in texture as well as saltiness and tartness.

Feisty Feta Dip

This perky dip showoffs feta in an alluring way. Serve it with triangles of pita bread (toasted or plain) and/or raw veggies. Garnish with pitted, imported black olives, such as kalamata. If you want to fancy up this dip, fry some thinly sliced prosciutto in vegetable oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels; when cool enough to handle, crumble over top of the dip. Delicious.

Yield: About 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup crumbled feta (plain or flavored with tomato and basil)

3 minced green onions (include part of dark green stalks)

1 medium clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano (or generous 1/4 teaspoon dried)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Optional: fresh lemon juice to taste if needed

Optional garnish for dip: 2 to 3 pitted Kalamata olives

Optional garnish for plate: cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. Place ingredients in a bowl and mash with the tines of a fork. Taste and add a little lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with the dip with pitted, imported black olives, such as kalamata. If desired if you like, garnish the serving plate with either cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes.

Spinach Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers and Feta Fingers

Spinach salad gets spunk from feta and roasted peppers. Capers and black olives add to the appealing complexity. If you decide to roast and peel the red bell peppers at home, start by lining a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, leaving some extra foil on the ends. Place the bell peppers in a single layer on the foil.  Place 6 to 8 inches below heated broiler element.  Broil until lightly charred.  Rotate peppers with tongs and char on all sides.  Remove from oven and draw up ends of foil to enclose peppers for 5 minutes. Open foil; when cool enough to handle, peel peppers and discard seeds. Resist temptation to wash skin off with water; use hands, the pepper will be more flavorful.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil for greasing pan, about 2 teaspoons

8 (1- to 1 1/2-inch wide) strips of roasted and peeled red bell peppers, roast and peel at home or buy commercially prepared in jars

Block of feta cheese, cut int 2-by-1/4-by-1/4-inch rectangles

2 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons drained capers

2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 generous handfuls of fresh clean baby spinach

12 pitted Kalamata olives

Vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, pinch dried red pepper flakes, salt to taste, freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a small roasting pan or gratin dish with olive oil and place 8 (1- to 1 1/2-inch wide) strips of roasted and peeled red bell peppers in single layer. Place a rectangle of feta lengthwise in the center of each pepper strip. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, capers, parsley and oregano; spoon the mixture atop the feta. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Bake in preheated oven 12-14 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

2. Place handful of cleaned baby spinach in each of 4 salad bowls. Place 2 cheese-topped pepper strips on each, spooning any mixture from pan over cheese. Place Kalamata olives on top of spinach.

3. Prepare vinaigrette: Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork; taste and adjust if needed. Drizzle spinach with vinaigrette. Serve.

Marinated Feta

Cubes of marinated feta cheese atop blanched green beans, cooked farro, or a bowl of cooked pasta, turn the dish into something bright and inviting with minimal effort needed. Make the marinated mix a day ahead and store it airtight in the fridge. I like to keep it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes ahead of use so that the solidified olive oil liquifies.

Occasionally I add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Castelvetrano olives to the concoction; the olives buttery flavor balances the vibrant personality of the feta and tastes delicious when using to top grains, pasta, or toasted baguette slices.

Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons minced lemon zest (colored portion of peel)

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces firm feta cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Cook’s notes: For the photo, I used the marinated feta spooned atop cooked farro. I love the chewy texture of farro. I cook 8.8 ounces of farro according to package directions (Trader Joe’s sells Ten Minute Farro). I drain it and toss it with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Spread out on a large plate or small platter, it’s topped with the marinated feta, scooped up to include a generous amount of the herb-spiked olive oil.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, add olive oil, parsley, oregano, zest, dried red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Add feta and gently toss to coat cheese (I use a silicone spatula to the it).

2. Transfer to a jar or lidded container. Mixture should be covered with oil, if needed add more olive oil to immerse feta. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to 5 days.

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