Bought some feta cheese in bulk -- now what?

Cafe Society
1

So, the fiancée sends me to the grocery store to get some feta cheese for a recipe she’s making that night (basically feta and olives on top of tuna steaks). I go to the deli area and see those little tubs of feta like we normally get. $5 for 10 ounces. Ouch. In the same little refrigerated section I see a bag with the same logo on it that I’ve never seen there before. What do you know, it’s also feta cheese. $10 for 5 pounds! Knowing a bargain when I see it, I snap up the bag and take it home… not even considering what we’d do with the 4 and 15/16ths of a pound of heese that’s left after the meal.

Since my plan to film a movie and use it as fake snow fell through, are there any unique recipes, ways to use it in other meals so it doesn’t feel like we’re eating it just to eat it, or things to do that will maximize our use out of it before it goes bad? Can we freeze it/preserve it/seal it up in red wax in a big cheese wheel and get some photogenic and friendly mice to pose in front of it? Or am I stuck, say, dividing it up into bags and leaving it on all our neighbors’ front doorsteps (perhaps setting the bags on fire and ringing the doorbell before running off)?

2

Sell it to a Greek restaurant?

3

Feta freezes quite well, and gets even more crumbly when it is thawed. Make up a bunch of half-pound packages, double-bag it and fill your freezer.

It also works well on salads, and you can make a Greek Pizza with dough, feta, olives and a little sauce.

4

Cook some pasta (corkscrew or bowtie are my faves) and make pasta salad. When the pasta is cooked to your taste, drain, put back in pot, add a few Tb of oil to keep it from clumping, allow to cool.

Add whatever you like—pepperoni, green pepper, bits of sun-dried tomato, sauteed onion, etc.—and feta. Yum!

5

This will take a little work but will be worth it. Get some medium bail wire jars and clean them thoroughly. Cut the feta into 1/2" thick squares that fit into the jar flat. Sprinkle each slice with some dried oregano and basil, patting to get a nice even coating but not completely covering them. layer the slices, rotating to give yourself little voids. Place some Kalamata olives in the voids along with some whole peeled garlic cloves(optional).

when you are close to the top, stop and fill up with good Greek olive oil (I prefer Minerva). Make sure the bubbles are out and the cheese is completely covered, close up and keep in the fridge.

This keeps a long time and goes great on salads, crumbled on tomato based pasta dishes or served alongside some grilled lamb chops with tzatsiki and fresh tomatoes.

I’ve done this for gifts, all I do is pick up some natural and blue raffia type string and tie them up - they look amazing, right out of Greece :slight_smile:

6

A couple of ways I’d enjoy using feta cheese. A warning, if you don’t like spinach skip the rest of this post. For me feta is an excuse to play with fresh spinach. :smiley:

First off, breakfast. “Greek Omelette.” Sauteed spinach, garlic and mushroom omlettes, with crumbled feta cheese.

Lunch. “Greek Pizza.” On pizza dough/shell, lay down a thin coat of olive oil. Add some minced garlic. A light coat of pizza sauce/marinara. A layer of fresh spinach. Baby spinach works best. Crumble feta cheese over top.

Calzone, substitute feta cheese for parmesan or ricotta in your favorite recipes. (Me, I go wild for a spinach and broccoli calzone with mozzarella and feta.)
Dinner: Shrimp stuffed with feta, wrapped in bacon.

I’m afraid I can’t recall what this recipe was called, and I can’t find it online at the moment. so you’re getting my memory of what the recipe might be, which could be faulty - feel free to adjust as your tastes might suggest.
Begin with 10-12 jumbo shrimp (18-20/lb size) cooked, deveined, partially shelled.
4-6 oz feta cheese in blocks about 1/2 inch by 1 inch by 1/2 inch.
10-12 slices of thick bacon.
4-6 oz fresh, washed spinach
1 clove garlic minced
1/2-2/3 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Take shrimp (if raw, cook first) and do a butterfly cut on the thick end. Gently spread the wings of the shrimp, and place a block of feta inside the cut. Wrap with the bacon. I’d suggest using tooth picks to hold the bacon in place. Set aside.

Wash and tear spinach into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

heat oil. Saute garlic in oil with pepper and salt. When garlic is nicely aromatic add spinach and saute til spinach is limp.

Add bacon-wrapped shrimp and feta. Feta melts some, but it should hold most of its shape while you cook the bacon around it and the shrimp.

As for the wine, I’m of two minds - cooking the bacon/shrimp/feta in the wine will be a nice taste, as well, but you’ll need a very hot pan to make that work, I’d think.

My gut reaction is to cook the shrimp in with the spinach, until the bacon is done. Then remove the spinach and bacon-covered stuffed shrimp. Set aside. Add white wine to the pan, simmer and reduce by about 2/3 volume, stirring frequently. When sauce reduction is complete, serve shrimp over linguine, and cover with sauce. Serve immediately.

7

It’s really good on eggs (I’ve had it on cauliflower omelets, specifically).

8

[QUOTE=OtakuLoki]
A couple of ways I’d enjoy using feta cheese. A warning, if you don’t like spinach skip the rest of this post. For me feta is an excuse to play with fresh spinach. :smiley:
[/QUOTE]

I must agree, If I had bough a 10 pack of feta, I would have headed straight for the bulk spinach department. Feta and spinach are good with everything from pizza to spanakopita and anything you can think of.

Never tried a feta stuffed olive in a martini but after a couple I’m sure that you could develop a taste for it. Good luck, you could be stuck with worst food product than feta.

9

I’m a big fan of spanakopita , which you can do either in small parcels like they do here, or in a big lasagne type pan. This could easily get rid of a pound or so for you.

10

[QUOTE=OtakuLoki]
A couple of ways I’d enjoy using feta cheese. A warning, if you don’t like spinach skip the rest of this post. For me feta is an excuse to play with fresh spinach. :smiley:

First off, breakfast. “Greek Omelette.” Sauteed spinach, garlic and mushroom omlettes, with crumbled feta cheese.

Lunch. “Greek Pizza.” On pizza dough/shell, lay down a thin coat of olive oil. Add some minced garlic. A light coat of pizza sauce/marinara. A layer of fresh spinach. Baby spinach works best. Crumble feta cheese over top.

Calzone, substitute feta cheese for parmesan or ricotta in your favorite recipes. (Me, I go wild for a spinach and broccoli calzone with mozzarella and feta.)
Dinner: Shrimp stuffed with feta, wrapped in bacon.

I’m afraid I can’t recall what this recipe was called, and I can’t find it online at the moment. so you’re getting my memory of what the recipe might be, which could be faulty - feel free to adjust as your tastes might suggest.
Begin with 10-12 jumbo shrimp (18-20/lb size) cooked, deveined, partially shelled.
4-6 oz feta cheese in blocks about 1/2 inch by 1 inch by 1/2 inch.
10-12 slices of thick bacon.
4-6 oz fresh, washed spinach
1 clove garlic minced
1/2-2/3 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Take shrimp (if raw, cook first) and do a butterfly cut on the thick end. Gently spread the wings of the shrimp, and place a block of feta inside the cut. Wrap with the bacon. I’d suggest using tooth picks to hold the bacon in place. Set aside.

Wash and tear spinach into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

heat oil. Saute garlic in oil with pepper and salt. When garlic is nicely aromatic add spinach and saute til spinach is limp.

Add bacon-wrapped shrimp and feta. Feta melts some, but it should hold most of its shape while you cook the bacon around it and the shrimp.

As for the wine, I’m of two minds - cooking the bacon/shrimp/feta in the wine will be a nice taste, as well, but you’ll need a very hot pan to make that work, I’d think.

My gut reaction is to cook the shrimp in with the spinach, until the bacon is done. Then remove the spinach and bacon-covered stuffed shrimp. Set aside. Add white wine to the pan, simmer and reduce by about 2/3 volume, stirring frequently. When sauce reduction is complete, serve shrimp over linguine, and cover with sauce. Serve immediately.
[/QUOTE]

Anybody know how to get drool off a computer keyboard?

11

There’s also Tirokafteri (Feta & capsicum dip) - this is really nice with barbequed fish too. Lasts OK in the fridge. Recipe is metric, but its all rough anyway, amounts to your taste.

300g Greek feta, coarsely chopped
180g bought chargrilled capsicum, coarsely chopped - or you can chargrill a fresh one over a BBQ or gas hob
1 small fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
1 1/2 tbs white vinegar
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, to serve

Place the feta, capsicum and chilli in the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add the oil and vinegar in a thin steady stream until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Taste and season with pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours to chill. Serve with crusty bread.

12

You’re in the South, right? Probably pretty hot right now.

Well, nothing beats feta, chilled watermellon and iced ouzo on a hot summer afternoon. Find a nice spot in the shade, and enjoy.

13

Broccoli salad

Don’t have the recipe in front of me but it’s basically broccoli (you can cook it a little if you like until a brighter green but still crisp, or just do raw), red onion, feta, raisins and sunflower seeds with a dressing made up of vinegar, mayo and sugar.

Totally agree with the greek pizza. I had one once that was spinach, chicken and I think some onion and sprinkled with feta instead of mozza. mmmmmm.

14

quick summer sallad:

feta, olives, cold red beans, lettuce, red onion, sun dried tomatoes, sprinkle with olive oil.

can be varied endlessly but beans and feta go well together. having a can of beans in the pantry makes this a really quick dish.
I found it tastes slightly better if the beans are chilled.

15

I made a lovely little salad a couple of weeks ago that was a huge hit.

Get half a watermelon and use a melon baller to scoop out a bunch of it; tip the juice into a food processor.

Whiz that juice together with a pint of strawberries and 1/3 c raspberry vinegar while drizzling in 1 c olive oil, and strain the mess through cheesecloth.

Plate with watercress/mustard greens/arugula, some of the watermelon, a couple of raspberries, a healthy dose of feta, and drizzle with the dressing.

The end result is really, really good.

16

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. Sounds like we’re going to eat well for a while…

17

[QUOTE=Girl From Mars]
There’s also Tirokafteri (Feta & capsicum dip) - this is really nice with barbequed fish too. Lasts OK in the fridge. Recipe is metric, but its all rough anyway, amounts to your taste.

300g Greek feta, coarsely chopped
180g bought chargrilled capsicum, coarsely chopped - or you can chargrill a fresh one over a BBQ or gas hob
1 small fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
1 1/2 tbs white vinegar
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, to serve

Place the feta, capsicum and chilli in the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add the oil and vinegar in a thin steady stream until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Taste and season with pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours to chill. Serve with crusty bread.
[/QUOTE]

Along the same lines, people also don’t realize that feta is sometimes served hot for sagnaki (hot/flaming/cooked cheese). Most people in the US are more familiar with the much milder and stringy, greek kasseri cheese being used for sagnaki. The traditional way that I’ve had feta sagnaki is simple slices of feta that are drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with oregano and a bit of paprika, then broiled close to the flame/heating element in an oven until golden brown on top, and finished with a squeeze of lemon juice. This is then eaten on top of the ubiquotous soft greek white bread that is served at every taverna, along with greek black olives. Very simple and very good. I imagine it would pair well with a cold beer, but it’s magical with cold retsina wine.

For an American take on hot feta, I’ve also found this Hot Feta, Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper dip recipe. Judging from the several different versions of this recipe that I’ve found and the rave reviews, it seems very popular.

Hot Feta, Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

INGREDIENTS
1 (13.75 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together the artichokes, peppers, feta, mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl; spread into the bottom of a shallow baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until bubbling on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

18

Here are many classic Greek recipes that involve feta and other greek cheeses.
(I notice there is a recipe for feta stuffed hot peppers there that looks good-- Looks like the greeks invented Jalapeno poppers, too. The 3 cheese fried eggplant roll appetizers look killer, too… I love eggplant. )

19

For storage, I find that feta keeps for a shockingly long time in the fridge if you put it in a plastic container, pour in enough water to cover the feta, stir in some salt (whatever seems reasonable for the quantity of water) to make a basic brine and slap a lid on the thing. I think the longest I’ve stored feta that way was about a month, and as far as I could tell it was still good. Tasty, anyway.

20

…I want to roll up this thread and eat it. Unfortunately LCDs aren’t all that tasty. Or rollable. :frowning: