Spicy Baked Greek Feta

Friends of ours from my hometown had just come back from their trip to Greece and asked me if I ever had a dish with baked feta. I hadn’t but I am so glad I researched it! Thanks Grant & Kathi! This is one of the easiest appetizers you’ll ever make and it’s absolutely scrumptious! The chili flakes add just a bit of heat and compliments the salt from the feta. Feta is made in Greece with goat’s and sheep milk. Authentic feta comes with a P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) stamp on the package which means at least 70% sheep’s milk with the remainder being goat’s milk.

Serves 4
recipe adapted from All Recipes

4 slices feta cheese
extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes, or as needed
dried oregano
1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped

Preheat an oven to 180c. Place the feta in an oven proof baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Spread the bell pepper over each slice and cover liberally with pepper flakes. Sprinkle with oregano. Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven 10 minutes. Remove cover and bake a further 5 minutes or until the feta is lightly browned. Serve hot with freshly baked crusty bread.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:

The ingredients are approximate so experiment a bit. You won’t be disappointed with the results! Some recipes call for each slice of feta to be covered in foil and served individually but I like the ideal of communal eating. I have seen a few recipes that use tomato slices instead of red bell pepper but I think if I did use tomato, I’d chop it up like I did with the red pepper. Or why not puree some semi-dried tomatoes and add this to the cheese. At any rate, make sure you have a really good quality bread to mop up the juices.