4 fabulous Feta favorites - recipe

Yup, I love my paneer, my gouda and even my brunost, but when it comes to cheese, my weakness has a name. Hello Feta! Feta, the taste of Greek summer, of fresh tiropita and of a big salad with feta on. That creamy texture and slightly salt&sour flavor. And it goes with anything. It can spice up a plain omelet, play main star in a salad or renew your pizza completely!

But be aware that only feta is feta, because since 2002, feta is a protected name. According to EU legislation, only those cheeses produced in a traditional way in some areas in Greece, are made from sheep's milk (or a mix of sheep and goat milk) may bear the name feta. To my joy I get feta here in India, too. Here are my favorite ways to use the cheese - maybe something for the upcoming weekend? I hope you like it!

1. Real Greek salad needs it's feta. Make a big bowl of salad, and top it off with big chunks. Sprinkle over some olive oil and oregano, and enjoy! Those bits of red tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onion and feta is just Greece on a plate:-)

2. Watermelon and feta is a perfect combo! In India I am so lucky to get my favorite fruit - watermelon- all year round. I put some bits of watermelon on a plate and add some crumbled feta. If you want to fancy it up, sprinkle over some balsamic vinegar, and pines or nuts.

3. Tirokafteri/tirosalata This is a dip often used, like the tzatziki, as a side-dish, with salad and bread. But where the tzatziki will cool you down, the tirokafteri will heat you up! We make it like this: 
You need: 
200 gr feta
1 dl yogurt
1 finely chopped red chili
2 tsp olive oil, a sprinkle of pepper

You do: 
Mash the feta. I like it to be a bit crumbly, so I do it with a fork, but you can also put it all in a food-processor, and get a more smooth dip. Stir in the other ingredients.    

4. Bread with feta and tomatoes Now, this is a perfect dish, if you have some old, dry bread lying around! You can by this recipe transform it into an impressive starter, a side dish or just a snack. Tempting? This is how we do it:
You need: 
4 slices of bread
2 dl chopped tomatoes
2 dl crumbled feta
olive oil, oregano, black pepper

You do:
Place the bread slices on a baking tray. Add the chopped tomatoes, and put the feta on top of that. Pour over olive oil and sprinkle over some oregano and some pepper. Bake in the oven until the bread is light brown. About 180'C for 10 minutes should be ok, but keep an eye on them!

Bread with tomatoes and feta, a dash of tirokafteri, and some green salad with olives. Yum! 

PS! Did you know there is a special song about feta? Oh, yeah! Kind of a parody where they are singing about all the delicious dishes they can make with feta. Have a look at the feta-hymn here:  

So, hope you got inspired, dear reader? Whether you will make a feta favorite or not, I hope you will have a smashing weekend! Have a great one, and take care! All the best from Mumbai!