Hot Garlic Pickle Feta Dip

 

This recipe is another one of those TikTok sensations that one would have to make while starting and stopping a video. This homey is too old for that shit.  So, I did it ONCE, and typed it out to land it on my blog. So here it is, without any pictures of the dish, because I haven't made it yet! It looks fabulous. 

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXhFhZ1gG2m/

Creamy, garlicky, tangy, baked until golden and bubbling… then finished with that salty, crispy chip crunch that takes it over the top!🫠

Serves 6-8 People

 

Ingredients

 

Roasted Garlic:

1 whole head garlic

1 tsp olive oil

Pinch kosher salt

Dip Base:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup sour cream

2 cups part skim milk mozzarella, shredded

½ cup grated parmesan

6 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup Mezzetta Sliced Golden Greek Peperoncini Peppers

¼ cup peperoncini brine

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)

Pinch of kosher salt & black pepper

1 cup crushed kettle potato chips

2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

2 tbsp Chopped Chives

Ridged Potato chips

 

Process 

1. Roast one head of garlic at 375°F for 40–45 minutes until soft and jammy, then squeeze into a paste.

2. In a bowl, mix softened cream cheese, sour cream, chives, and the roasted garlic until smooth. Stir in mozzarella, parmesan, feta, chopped pickled Peperoncini Peppers, peperoncini brine, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

3. Spread the dip into a greased baking dish and top with crushed potato chips.

4. Place the dip on a baking pan, cover, and bake at 375°F covered for 20–25 minutes until hot and bubbling. Remove the cover, and bake an additional 2-3 minutes for extra crunch.

5. Finish with freshly chopped dill and serve warm with chips or crostini. Enjoy!

frohneats

 

Feta Chicken Salad

 

 

This yummy, tangy , and slightly spicy salad has great texture and is a good source of protein. I forgot where I got it from but it is fairly boiler plate. You can use freshly cooked, canned or a shredded rotisserie chicken. 

 

Ingredients

 

3 cups cooked shredded chicken, not leaving chunks

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup red onion

1/3 cup pepperoncini, chopped, or a dash of their liquid or more to taste

1/3 cup roasted red peppers 

1/4 cup mayonnaise (you can omit and use Greek Yogurt in it's place)

1/3 cup Greek Yogurt 

1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill 

1/2 teaspoon oregano - fresh is best!

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

a dash of black pepper

Crumbled Feta to taste 

 

Process

 

1.  Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. 

 

2. Taste. Adjust seasonings to your liking.  

 

3. Serve. How?

 

You have many options here:

 

In a bowl with lettuce, adding dressing as desired. 

In a sandwich (with a bloody Mary?)

As an appetizer on crackers

 

Be creative! The world is your oyster! 

 

 

Matzo Spanakopita

This recipe from Food 52 was slightly fussy in the way it was written. I will rewrite it this weekend because it really should be doubled. It is filling and tasty and I highly recommend it.

Matzo Spanakopita

Serves 4 to 6

For the sauce:

•   8 TB (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
•   4 TB potato starch(or substitute corn starch)
•   4cups whole milk
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
•   2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the spanakopita:

•   6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
•   2 cup sliced shallots
•   2 garlic clove, thinly sliced
•   2 pound fresh spinach  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•   6 large eggs
•   2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 1 box matzo
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•   1 & 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in the potato starch. Slowly pour in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously to prevent the sauce from becoming lumpy and sticking to the bottom of the pot. Simmer until the milk has thickened and the starchy flavor has cooked out, 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
2. Whisk the Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and salt into the sauce. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl, cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until fully cooled, about 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a colander with a clean kitchen towel and set in the sink. Brush a 9x13 baking dish with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil.
4. Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cover. Cook the spinach, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 6 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture into the colander and use the kitchen towel to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside to cool.
5. Remove the cooled sauce from the refrigerator and whisk in the eggs. Stir the lemon zest into the spinach mixture. Make a payer matzo in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cover with 1 cup sauce, then spread 2 cup of the spinach mixture over the sauce. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoon of the Parmesan, 6 tablespoons of the feta, and 6 tablespoons of the pine nuts. Place another sheet of matzo on top, pressing down gently. Repeat the layers, then cover the final sheet of matzo with the remaining sauce, Parmesan, and feta.
6. Transfer to the oven and bake until the feta on top turns golden brown, the sauce puffs up, and the matzo softens, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove and allow the pie to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Warm Lentil and Carrot Salad with Feta dressing from Food and Wine

This recipe from Food and Wine is fantastic and I am so happy to have found it as it will be a frequent flyer at our dinner table. With only six ingredients, it is quick to prep, cook, and assemble.

Ingredients

1 pound carrots—peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup  green  lentils
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped dill
Kosher salt
Pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. 
2. On a baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Scrape into a large serving bowl.
3. While the carrots are roasting, in a small saucepan of boiling water, cook the lentils until al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain well.
4. Add the lentils to the carrots along with the cucumber, dill and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. In a blender, puree the feta with 2 tablespoons of water (or perhaps a little yogurt)  and the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil until smooth. Season with salt. 
6. Spoon the dressing over the lentil salad and serve.

 

Grilled Feta and Watemelon Salad

As I pondered a grilled water melon and feta salad, I recalled this recipe I did a few years back. A quick search of the blog proved I failed to save it, so without further ado, here they both are.

Grilled Feta with Thyme  from Framed Cooks

Grilled Watermelon from The Food Network

although this one from Alton Brown looks like its even better!

Avocado, Beet and Feta salad

Salad is for dinner!

20 minute Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes

I am making this for dinner tonight. I found the recipe on a blog I follow: Can You Stay For Dinner?
I am going to tinker with it and maybe add some spinach and artichoke hearts, but I love that it is starch free!

20 Minute Skillet: Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta

“Like everything she buys, this jar of sun dried tomatoes was impulsive,” said my bank account.

Despite my excitement about it at the market, it’s been sitting in my pantry for two weeks next to all of my other fantastically rushed decisions. Only today did I even begin to consider plucking it from the shelf for use.

And I am so glad that I did.

Sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil have an ultra concentrated sweetness to them. They’re so bursting with intensity that even just a few of them go a long way in adding interest to a dish.
Tonight, my goal was quick, easy, and packed with flavor. To that end, I chose to saute strips of simply seasoned chicken in the olive oil that surrounded the tomatoes in their jar, knowing that the infused oil would impart a bit of its richness to the chicken.

I then added a truly staggering amount of garlic (we can never skimp!), the remainder of the jar of sweet sun dried tomatoes, and a mound of tangy feta, and in the end, the whole dish came together in 20 minutes.
This is the kind of meal to keep in your recipe rotation for busy weeknights. The ingredient list is short; the directions are straightforward; and the flavor is brilliant.
Enjoy.


 20 Minute Skillet: Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta
1 (8-ounce) jar sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (must be oil-packed; found in the produce section or with the canned tomatoes)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

Remove the sun dried tomatoes from their jar, carefully draining the excess olive oil, and reserve 1 tablespoon of oil for later use. Lay the tomatoes on a cutting board and press gently with a paper towel to absorb more of the oil; discard the towel. Finely chop the tomatoes and set aside.
Pour the reserved tablespoon of the oil from the sun dried tomato jar into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the chicken strips, sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and oregano, and sauté for 10-12 minutes, taking care to sear the strips on all sides, until no longer pink. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and the crumbled feta, and stir to combine. Serve immediately alongside your choice of vegetables and grains.
Nutrition Information for 1 Serving (1/4^th of Entire Recipe): Calories 305, Total Fat 16.0 g, Total Carbohydrate 8.7 g, Dietary Fiber 1.7 g, Sugars 5.1 g, Protein 31.8 g

Smitten Kitchen's Cauliflower-Feta Fritters

Smitten Kitchen's Cauliflower-Feta Fritters
OH yum!
Cauliflower-Feta Fritters with Smoky Yogurt, Pomegranate
Makes 18 2-inch fritters
 
1 small head cauliflower (1 pound florets, i.e. stems and leaves removed), cut into generous 1 to 2 inch chunks
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced
Few gratings of fresh lemon zest
3 ounces crumbled feta (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes; less if using regular red pepper flakes, which are hotter
3/4 teaspoon table salt or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive oil for frying

To serve
3/4 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful pomegranate seedshttp://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/12/cauliflower-feta-fritters-with-pomegranate/print/http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/12/cauliflower-feta-fritters-with-pomegranate/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+smittenkitchen+%28smitten+kitchen%29

1. Cook cauliflower in simmering salted water, uncovered, until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes, until firm but tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well. Spread on towels to dry as much as possible.

2. In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together egg, garlic and lemon zest. Add cauliflower florets and mash with a potato masher until they’re crushed into an average of pea-sized pieces (i.e. some will be bigger, some smaller, but most will be little nubs). Sprinkle in feta and stir to combine egg mixture, cauliflower and feta.

3. In a small dish, whisk flour, salt, pepper and baking powder until evenly combined. Sprinkle over cauliflower batter and stir just until combined.

4. Heat oven to 200 degrees and place a tray inside.

5.  On the stove, heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, add a good slick of oil, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Once the oil is hot (you can test it by flicking a droplet of water into it; it should hiss and sputter), scoop a two tablespoon-size mound of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spoon or spatula.

6. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple inches between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Transfer briefly to paper towels to drain, then the tray in the oven to keep them warm until needed. Once all fritters are cooked, mix yogurt with cumin, salt and pepper.

Spread fritters on serving platter. Dollop each with cumin yogurt and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Do ahead: Fritters both freeze and reheat well. To warm and re-crisp them, lay them on a tray and toast them at 400 degrees in the oven until crisp again.