ISO: ISO - Feta recipes - just returned from Costco w/huge block of it...

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music-city-missy

Well-known member
salty sounded really good and I am eating a huge chunk right now for a snack with some of their olives. But I would love some other recipes to use with it.

 
I made some stuffed zucchini with it in the filling, along with ground lamb, fresh herbs,

tomatoes, bread crumbs, garlic, and the contents of the hollowed-out zucs. Yummy!

 
REC: Chicken Souvlaki Salad

CHICKEN SOUVLAKI SALAD

This was very good, but a little too salty for me - it probably wouldn't be for most people. I'm ultra sensitive to salt, and use very little in most dishes.
Also, I added a little onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin powder to the marinade. In addition, next time I'd use a little more oil and lemon juice. I preferred the chicken breasts left whole, rather than cut up and added to the salad, so I served them separately.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic (I used more)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast

3 cups cubed peeled cucumber (about 3 cucumbers)
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup grated peeled cucumber
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat grill or broiler.

Combine minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper and chicken breast in a large ziptop plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake to coat. Remove chicken from the bag. Grill or broil the chicken 5 minutes on each side or until done. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces.

Combine chicken, cubed cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, olives and tomatoes in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, grated cucumber, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and red and black peppers in a small bowl. Pour over chicken mixture and toss well.

Serve with pita bread wedges.

Makes 4 servings of 2 cups each.

Nutrition information per serving: 259 calories, 8.2 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 31.8 grams protein, 15.3 grams carbohydrates, 2.9 grams fiber, 79 milligrams cholesterol, 679 milligrams sodium

Adapted from CookingLight

 
Greek Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Feta

Haven't tried this yet, but it had great reviews.

GREEK PASTA SALAD WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES AND FETA

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 medium eggplant, cubed
3 small yellow squash, cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup torn arugula leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (12 ounce) package farfalle pasta
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (320 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl combine all the vegetables, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with hands to coat. Bake for 25 minutes on the lined cookie sheet, tossing occasionally, until browned.
3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.
4. Drain the softened tomatoes and reserve the water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, arugula, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegetables. Add remaining olive oil, reserved water from tomatoes, garlic, balsamic vinegar and feta cheese; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate until chilled.

Makes 5 to 7 servings.

From Allrecipes, Submitted by Cypress

 
REC: Moosewood Restaurant's Feta Garlic Dressing

I've never made this, but it's what I'd always order at the restaurant when we lived in Ithaca.

Moosewood Restaurant's Feta Garlic Dressing

1 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbs. vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. dried dill weed or 1 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1-1/2 cup feta cheese
1 cup milk or buttermilk

In a blender or food processor, whirl all the ingredients except the milk,or buttermilk, for one minute. With the blender running, slowly pour in the milk. As soon as the dressing thickens, turn off the blender, or the dressing will separate and become runny. It should be think and creamy. Chill at least 30 minutes so the flavors meld. Refrigerate, tightly covered. Feta Garlic Dressing will stay fresh for three or four days. If the dressing separates, simply reblend it.

Makes about 3-1/2 cups

 
I really like to make Chicken Souvlaki and stuff it in pita bread.

I use basically the same marinade Meryl does, grill the chicken, and when the chicken is done and still hot, put on some feta, some onion, finely diced tomatoes and a little romaine, and a little yoguart mixed with some lemon juice, crushed garlic, dill and f.g. pepper. I grill the pita a bit. It is so good and quick to make, whether outside or inside, and if I don't have any pita around I sometimes use tortillas and make a wrap. I put the olives on the side. All in all, it's addictive.

 
Greek Chicken with Feta

Greek Chicken with Feta (low carb)


This is very tasty...I have made it many times and people like it very much. It goes well with a green salad and a fresh loaf of garlic bread.

2 Tbls. Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut
into 1" pieces
2 small zuchinni, sliced
1 med. onion, large chop
1 cup small button mushrooms, whole
1 red pepper, 1" chunks
1/3 Cup White wine
1/4 Cup chopped fresh oregano
Juice of 2 lemons
2 roma tomatoes, diced
8 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled

Heat oil in large saute pan, saute garlic
until fragrant. Add chicken and
vegetables. Saute for 10 minutes, until
vegetables are softened and chicken is
almost cooked through. Add wine, saute 2
minutes. Sprinkly oregano over top, add
lemon juice. Stir and finish reducing wine
and lemon juice. Add tomatoes and heat
through. Pour everything into serving bowl
or platter. Top with Feta, serve.

posted by Sara B. at Gails, June, 2000.
* If I was also serving "Hi-carb" eaters, I
would have also made orzo cooked in chicken
stock with roasted garlic. And maybe a loaf
of bread.

 
Shrimp with Feta Cheese

Another fav...I don't remember where I got it.

Shrimp with Feta Cheese

1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup dry white wine or a little more!
4 ripe medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced ...I use two
1 teaspoon salt...I don't add salt..the feta is salty enough for me.
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon oregano
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled ...I add more
1 pound raw large shrimp, shelled and de-veined
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
I add a minimum of 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a heavy skillet, sauté onion in butter and oil until soft. Add wine, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano. Bring to boil, lower heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened.

Stir in cheese and simmer for 10 minutes until it's just about melted. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Just before serving, add shrimp to hot sauce and cook for 5 minutes or until shrimp are just tender. Do not overcook.

Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately in large bowls with crusty French bread.

Sometimes I serve it over pasta as well and usually with a green salad.

 
REC: Rolled Stuffed Flank Steak

Rolled Stuffed Flank Steak

spread about a 1/4" layer of crumbled feta over the pounded steak an cover that with prosciutto and genoa salami or other good lunch meat(s). the quantity isn't important beyond the fact that you've gotta end up with something thin enough to roll. it is important to have the lunchmeat sliced VERY thin.

roll and tie the steak. marinate overnight in red wine. there's enough salt in the cheese and lunchmeat for my taste, but you may want to add a bit more. You could marinate first, then stuff if it’s more convenient.

drain (reserving marinade). i prefer cooking the rolled steak on a grill with some flavorful wood chips or grapevine but you could roast it in the oven. reduce the marinade to about 1/4 of what you started with and add some sour cream for a sauce.

 
REC: Italian Chickenherd’s Pie

Italian Chickenherd’s Pie
serves 4
Ingredients:
4 links sweet italian sausage
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 cup carrots, sliced
3 tbs roasted garlic
1/4 cup V-8
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 bay leaves, crushed
5 medium yukon gold potatoes
3 tbs butter
1/2 cup half and half (I used fat free)
1/2 pound feta
1/4 cup grated romano or parmesan

Preparation:

Crumble the sausage and brown well over medium high heat with the olive oil.

add the mushrooms, carrots and garlic; and continue to sauté, stirring well, for another coupla minutes.

add the V-8, wine, cinnamon and garlic; reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for about 20 minutes.

nuke the spuds for 15 minutes and 33 seconds, turning the potatoes a coupla times. (be sure to turn the microwave off before opening the door (ask me sometimes why watching this dumb kid at a subway heating the chicken teriyaki reminded me to stick that caution in)). i didn’t peel the potatoes. you can if you don’t mind throwing away all those vitamins (or are less lazy than i). chop the potatoes coarsely, add the butter and moosh with a wooden fork or potato moosher. continue mooshing whilst adding the cream slowly. i didn’t try to beak up all the lumps, but the potatoes were a nice flaky texture and broke up well (much better than the ill-advised method of “mashing the poor guys in a food processor when i did the german shepherd’s pie). crumble in the feta and stir well.

spread about 1/3 of the potato mixture on the bottom of a 3-qt casserole, add the meat and stuff, and top with the rest of the potato mixture.

bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

sprinkle the grated cheese over top and run under the broiler for a minute or so until the cheese browns.

Variations:

increase the wine by 2 tbs and substitute 2 tbs tomato paste for the V-8

can the whole pie bit and just crumble some feta into your next batch of mashed potatoes.

 
REC: German Shepherd's Pie

RECipe for Tsiopaniki Pita (Greek Shepherd's Pie) plus what
i did to it last night (by way of variations)...

first the recipe as it appears in Adventures in Greek Cookery by Stella Kopulos and Dorothy
P. Jones

3 medium potatoes
3 tbs butter
2 small onions, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef or lamb
2 tbs tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry wine
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup light cream
1 cup feta
scrub the potatoes and boil them whole in their skins. while they are cooking, prepare the
meat sauce.

melt 1 tbs of the butter in a heavy saucepan. add the onion and saute until golden. then add
the meat and stir until it is well browned. add the tomato sauce, wine, 1 tsp of the salt,
pepper and nutmeg. cover and cook 20 minutes.

when the potatoes are done, peel and mash them in a bowl. warm the cream and add along
with the remaining butter and salt. mix well with a rotary beater.

butter a 9-inch round casserole. spread half the potatoes over the bottom, cover with meat
sace, and spread the remaining potatoes on top. sprinkle with grated cheese. bake at 350
degrees for 30 minutes or until potatoes are browned. serves 6.

****************

what i did, or, considering that i'm a von Behren:

German Shepherd's Pie

i wanted first to defat the recipe a bit so that's the main reason for most of the changes.

i used a bunch of spring onions (cause i felt like spring onions for a change) and sauteed em
in about a tbs olive oil.

i used ground sirloin Q. what kinda meat do you put inna 230 pound german
shepherd's pie? A. any kind he wants. the lamb woulda been better, but the Giant didn't
have any. ground pork or a meatloaf mix woulda worked, too.

i increased the nutmeg to a tsp and threw in a tsp of cinnamon for the helck of
it. using the nutmeg at all speaks of the triumph of time over the sins of one's youth. a
certain nameless german ate a halffa cup or so of freshly grated nutmeg about 25 years
ago to experience the effect of certain inherant alkaloids and was left only slightly
altered, but retained a marked aversion to even the slightest hint of nutmeg for many
years.

i used red wine case that's what i had. white woulda been fine.

the potatoes coulda been better. hopefully some mashed potato maven will offer some
suggestions. i used 4 insted of 3 (cause i'd done this recipe before and remembered that i
came short on enough potatoes to cover the sauce), nuked em instead of boiling and didn't
peel em (much healthier that way). i substituted nonfat half and half for the cream and didn't
add any butter. they were good, but gooey.

i think that the yukon golds make for heavy mashed potatoes to begin with. i suspect that
evaporated skim milk or even skim milk might have worked better than the nonfat half and
half. the gum in it may have added to the texture problems. it wasn't uneatable by any
stretch of the imagination and the yukon golds do lend a pretty color. i don't know if
mushing them in a food processor instead of a rotary beater made any difference.

i didn't butter the casserole and found no reason to regret it.

thanks to tamiko for reviving my interest in greek cooking and to barbara for getting me to
think more about what meat to use.

 
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