No. 1 : Quick Recipe
Grape Tomato Salad with Baked Feta
- 1 (8 OZ) Block of Feta
- ¼ Cup EVOO
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
- Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 1 TB Honey
- 2 Cups Grape Tomatoes, halved
- 1 Head Romaine, torn
- ¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- Chopped Basil, Mint and Parsley for garnish
Step One Preheat oven to 400F. In a small ovenproof dish, drizzle the feta with oil ad sprinkle with salt and pepper and if desired, pepper flakes. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and drizzle with the honey. Slide it back into the oven for a few minutes or until golden brown.
Step Two While the feta is roasting, add the romaine and tomatoes to a platter.
Step Three While still hot, drain the oil from the feta into a jar with the red wine vinegar. Shake and pour over the platter of lettuce and tomatoes. Chunk the feta and sprinkle over the top. Garnish with herbs.
No. 2 : Kitchen Scoop
Depending on where it’s from, feta can be made with cow, sheep or goat’s milk. In the EU, it must be made with mostly sheep’s milk and can have a little goat’s milk added. That’s why you may see the name “white cheese” instead of “feta” on a label from some parts of Europe, but the cheese still tastes like salty tangy feta. In other parts of the world like the United States, feta cheese can be made with a variety of milks.
No. 3 : Get Creative
Tomato season is winding down, but grape tomatoes are still abundant. I like grape or cherry tomatoes in this salad for their firm texture and sweet taste. Roma tomatoes would also be a good choice.
No. 4 :Cheers!
Chateau D’Esclans The Palm
Provence, France
About $15
Cinsault is not a grape name that comes to mind immediately, but Cinsault, (San-sew), is a major player in the rosé wine world of Provence. The Palm wine is the entry level offering from Chateau D’Esclans, famously known for its Whispering Angel rosé and its delicious luxury offering, Garrus. It’s always a great idea to enjoy a wine that comes from a winery that also makes high end wines – you’ll often find their entry level wines to contain grapes that are ones not able to be used in the more expensive wines – but are still super. You’ll enjoy flavors of strawberries and cherries in this yummy wine,