LIFE IS BETTER WITH FETA

TWO VERY GOOD WAYS WITH FETA: FILO BAKED WITH HARISSA, TAHINI AND HONEY & AN UPSIDE DOWN SALAD WITH CITRUS, CORIANDER SEED AND HERBS

I joke a lot about how one day I will move to Greece (but in all seriousness, that really is the goal). I try to spend two weeks in Greece every year, usually in July. For the last six years I have travelled to my favourite island not too far from the mainland, Spetses. I wrote a guide on Spetses here for anyone who is planning a trip.

Every time I return home I do so bursting with inspiration and spend the first month back attempting to turn weekend suppers at home into a Greek taverna. I decant olives and caper berries into my favourite ceramic bowls, lovingly cook the kilos of fava I managed to squeeze into my suitcase and allow the extractor fan to breathe at full force as I fry up plates of calamari. There is Greek salad, tzatziki and melitzanosalata (Greek aubergine salad) and there is always feta!

The most enjoyable Greek salads I’ve eaten have usually been crowned by a large block of feta. There are no tiny cubes and you get the wonderful satisfaction of getting to break the feta into the salad as you wish. Feta as a dish in itself is also not uncommon in Greece. Usually it is doused in olive oil and sprinkled over with oregano but essentially it is a block of feta and it is delicious.

This week I give you two feta recipes that embrace the block. FILO BAKED FETA WITH HARISSA, TAHINI AND HONEY & UPSIDE DOWN FETA SALAD WITH CITRUS, CORIANDER SEED AND HERBS

They are dishes that make for very good sharing starters or part of a medley of ‘BBQ and bits’, (my favourite way to entertain during summer). Neither take long to prepare and both bring their own bit of wow to the table.

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THE RECIPES

FILO BAKED FETA WITH HARISSA, TAHINI AND HONEY

Feta baked in filo is a dish routinely seen in Greece. Crisp pastry encases melty salty cheese and is usually finished with sweet golden honey. It is heaven and if you’ve never tried is as so I do recommend it. I also love it with the addition of harissa which you can find in almost all supermarkets and many good corner stores these days. My favourite is this one. Tahini and honey are a WINNING combination and are perfect against the spicy kick of the harissa. The wrapping of the the feta requires minimal fiddly work and even if it does tear there is no need to worry. Any oozing feta is a bonus in my eyes.