Dinner Tip: turn this delish baked appy into a pasta dish and enjoy as a main paired with a leafy green salad.
From: Midwest Foodie
Pairs with: Fielding Rosé
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Feta – For the best flavor and texture, buy a block of Greek feta (preferably in brine) instead of the pre-crumbled stuff. If you’re looking for a different flavor or don’t like sheep’s milk cheese, try using goat cheese or Brie cheese instead of the feta. Stick with 8 ounces of cheese whichever you choose.
- Pitted Olives – A jar of pitted, Mediterranean olives will usually provide a convenient medley of green and Kalamata olives. If you’re not a fan of one or the other, though, just get the kind you prefer.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Get sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, rather than dried ones, if you can. Dry sun-dried tomatoes will need to be reconstituted for this recipe. If you’re not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, try halved cherry tomatoes or diced red peppers instead!
- Olive Oil – The olive oil is a key player, here, so get a good one: preferably cold-pressed, organic, extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh Garlic – Freshly minced garlic always has a better, bolder flavor than the stuff in a jar. I totally get that sometimes you just need the convenience of pre-minced garlic, but it’s not worth it for this appetizer.
- Dried Oregano, Thyme, and Rosemary – You can use an Italian seasoning blend in place of the dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried rosemary if that’s all you have available. You could also substitute with fresh herbs instead.
Instructions
- Add feta to a small baking dish or rimmed sheet pan. Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the baking dish around the block of feta.
- In a small dish combine olive oil, sliced garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sliced French bread, crostini, crackers, or pita chips.
