A visit to a Greek supermarket can be quite an experience! I could fill a whole post elaborating on this, but I’m sure that would get me into trouble, and we don’t want that. On the other hand, I can’t resist giving you just a teeny tiny glimpse into what I mean.
You see, there’s usually a great selection of high quality fresh olives and olive oil, creamy and tangy feta cheeses from villages and islands all over Greece and bright and juicy tomatoes in an average Greek supermarket. Sounds great, you’re probably thinking. But then to go and get all those lovely food items you have to survive the wildly determined grannies over-zealously ramming their trolleys around so that they bump you on the backside multiple times. Oh yes. You would like to think not on purpose. But let’s just say I’m keeping an open mind on that one and drop the subject!
I’m trying to be diplomatic here, if you hadn’t noticed, but I’m not sure I’m doing such a good job! Ah-hem. Anyway, apart from anything specific to a Greek supermarket, last Saturday’s trip to my local one was a Pain … yes, with a capital P! Not only was it super busy, as Monday was a public holiday here in Greece, but I’d forgotten how small the aisles of this particular supermarket were so there were literally trolleys (pushed by some of those zany grannies … eeek!) blocking virtually every route I tried to take. I ended up throwing things into my own trolley far too fast just to get out of there more quickly and buying too many things to carry back to the car by myself comfortably. It didn’t help that the closest parking spot I’d been able to find was a couple of streets away, it was raining and I couldn’t hold an umbrella as well as all my shopping bags. So by the time I’d fought my way home let’s just say I was more than a little sweaty, wet and frizzy-haired!
Grrrr.
But after getting home, de-frazzling (yes, I did just make up that word) and surveying all the lovely things I’d bought, I decided to make this baked feta for a snack for Mr. Scrummy and I. And was it worth getting frizzy hair and a ‘trollied’ backside for? Oh yes it was!
I’m sure someone’s going to come over here and slap me if I say one time that I like easy recipes. But honestly, this appetizer is so simple that it’s a bit cheeky of me to even call it a recipe. Perhaps apart from the feta you’ve probably got most of what you need floating around in your fridge and cupboards already, and to be honest it doesn’t matter if you miss out one or two of the listed ingredients. It will still be delicious!
So really all you do is lay a nice thick slice of feta cheese in the centre of a piece of foil or baking paper, chop up little bits of tomato and pepper and pile them on top of the cheese together with pieces of olive, a few capers, a good sprinkle of paprika, some fresh or dried oregano and a drizzle of olive oil. You then scrunch in the sides of the paper to make a little parcel and bake the whole thing for about half an hour.
After you unwrap the paper, the feta should be lovely and squidgy and perfect for smooshing into pieces of your favourite bread. You can also use said bread to mop up the beautiful tomatoey olive-oily juice. It’s almost like a deconstructed Greek salad. A warm one. I’m not sure if that makes it sound appetizing or not, but believe me, it really is!
This is beyond simple as an idea, but the taste, in my (humble of course) opinion, is as good as if you’d slaved over a hot stove for hours!
I’ve eaten various versions of baked feta over my years in Greece, usually shared with friends at an outdoor taverna, and it was always wonderful. So, wherever in the world you are, wait for a setting sun on a warm spring day, grab a friend or loved one and a glass of chilled ouzo or wine and sit outside on a veranda or in a garden to enjoy this lovely Greek appetizer with some freshly baked bread.
Or maybe life’s too short to sit around waiting for elusive warm days! Just make it and enjoy it whatever the weather!
Baked feta with tomato, pepper & olives
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces a slab of feta cheese
- a couple of slices of fresh tomato either whole or finely chopped
- 1/5 finely diced red or green pepper
- 3 or 4 olives de-stoned and chopped into small pieces
- a few capers
- a sprinkle of paprika
- a few sprigs of chopped fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon of dried
- black pepper to taste
- olive oil about a tablespoon
- a squeeze of lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C/390F.
- Place the feta in the centre of a piece of baking paper or foil in a baking dish, making sure there is plenty of spare paper or foil around the cheese.
- Pile the tomato, pepper, olives and capers on top. Then sprinkle with the paprika, oregano and black pepper. Finally, drizzle over the olive oil.
- Gather up the sides of the paper or foil and scrunch it up roughly into the middle to make a parcel.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the feta is soft. Squeeze a little lemon over if you like and eat immediately with fresh bread.
Recipe Notes
Don't have or don't like all the ingredients? No problem, just miss them out! The essential ingredients here are the feta (of course!), plus some oregano and a drizzle of olive oil. The rest are optional!
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Helen, this looks delicious! I love Greek food and reading your article I didn’t enjoy the supermarkets in Greece either! Whenever we’re on holiday in Greece we always buy the fresh feta cheese, and make a Greek salad with some crusty bread. So good, always recreate it in the Summer back here in the UK. 🙂
Haha! I was trying not to be too rude but I couldn’t help not poking just a little bit of fun at those ‘dedicated’ ladies! I could literally eat Greek salads every day, but this is a perfect winter alternative!
I can never resist some good authentic feta! This baked version sounds absolutely delicious!!
Thank you, Joanne! It really is good and I hope you try it some time. Enjoy your weekend!
Haha Helen, I love easy recipes and I always am drawn in when someone says this is easy. I know it will be up my alley 😀 This looks delicious! I love feta and it sounds like a perfect combination with fresh baked bread!
Thanks, Cindy! I think this would be up anyone who loves feta’s alley!
Feta is one of my fettishes. (is that a word?) Anyway, I love this, and I want to try baked feta.
I hope you do try it, Norma. I think I could eat some of this every day!
Hi Helen, Had myself a chuckle reading about your shopping experience. This baked feta looks divine and would be great to share with friends. Happy week-end to you!
Hehe … I could tell you so many more supermarket stories! This sure is a great ‘bonding with friends’ appetizer, as is much Greek food. Hope you have a great weekend, too!
Foreign supermarkets are my favorite! I feel like grocery shopping is always a “to-do” no matter where I go because it’s fascinating to see the kinds of things they have and sell. It usually ends up actually making me quite sad, because I know how prevalent it is in other countries to still have a cheese shop, a fishmonger, a bakery, a butcher, etc and with our superstore conglomerates, that is lost here. I’d take your grocery store any day, crazy grannies and all!
I know what you mean, Chrissy. I actually enjoy having a good look around foreign supermarkets, too. Also, when I go back to the UK now I actually feel almost a little overwhelmed by how much choice there is. Somehow simple but fresh feels better!
oh wow, this is a must try! I had some Mediterranean veg for dinner tonight and WISH I had some baked feta to go with it. I’ll remember it for the future 🙂
It’s sooo worth the ‘effort’, Aimee, even if you don’t have all of the ingredients. It’s really delicious!
Despite the madness, I think I could live in that market on olives and feta alone. These are some of my favorite flavors!
Thanks, Erin, and thank you too for passing by and reading! I know what you mean about these flavours together. They just WORK!
Feta and olives and tomato are my favourite combination right now! This looks beyond delicious. Such gorgeous photos!
Thank you, Sam, that’s so sweet of you to say! If you like Greek salad, you’ll love this, I promise you. Thanks for passing by, too!
After your experience at the supermarket I’ll bet it felt really good to sit down and enjoy this lovely dish. And yes, simple is always good 🙂
If a bad supermarket trip is pretty much all I have to complain about and then I get to eat something so beautifully simple as this, then I guess I’m not doing too badly! Thanks for passing by and commenting, Christina. 🙂
This appetizer sounds delicious! Warm cheese on a crostini? Yum!
I guess that’s exactly what it is, Natalie … fabulous way to describe it!
Oh goodness gracious this sounds delicious! I love feta but baked and with all those awesome tomatoes and peppers? Perfect! Plus, anything that remotely resembles a greek salad is a huge win in my opinion : )
Glad you like it, Ashley! The best part is mopping up the lovely tomatoey juice at the end!
Hehe now I’ve learned a new term: “trollied backside”! I’ve never been to Greece but it’s always interesting to see what local supermarkets offer! This looks like a simple but delicious standby recipe.
Hehe indeed … I have to admit I had a bit of a chuckle over that one myself. I love visiting the supermarkets in different countries, too. I even enjoyed having a good look what Coles had to offer when I was living in Australia these past months. I loved all the dips and Asian produce … and Tim Tams of course! It is a bit of a relief to get back to cheaper tomatoes, though! They are so tasty here, too.
Omg, totally drooling over here! Deconstructed Greek salad sounds right up my alley, and the picture you’ve painted, nibbling on this on a warm sunny evening, glass of wine in hand, is so bewitching! Pinned!
That really is one of the best things about Greece – sitting outside on a warm evening and tucking into simple but delicious food with friends. If you ever get the chance to visit Greece, DO! 🙂
Never thought about baking feta…what a great idea, thanks for sharing 😉
You’re welcome, Mariana! The Greeks figured out ages ago how good it is!
This looks sounds and I can nearly taste this right through the screen. Love the simplicity of this. Not so much the shopping that sounds exhausting!
Haha! Yes, it was pretty tiring but totally worth it to get this at the end! Glad you like it, Denise!
What a stunning recipe. And what pretty pictures. I’ve had baked camembert and brie before, but never feta – inspired idea.
Thank you, Skye, and thanks so much for taking the time to pass by! I’m so enjoying getting to know all you marvelous people! I’m pretty sure you’d like this if you like baked camembert and brie. Actually, it’s like a much lighter version of those kinds of appetizers 🙂
Oh wow! I think my eyes popped out just a little when I got the first glimpse of this post! I want this baked feta … right in front of me … now!!!! You know I looooove super-easy recipes, so I for sure will not be slapping you (egads!) for saying you like them, too! Why make something difficult when it can be this lovely, with plenty of time left over to actually relax and ENJOY it?!?!? Ok – and totally hysterical about maniacal grannies crashing your bum with their trolleys! 😀 Pinning this beauty super-fast!!!
Shelley, this is a very sweet comment … thanks so much for the encouragement! And I’m so glad you won’t be slapping me!! I felt a bit naughty mentioning my ‘observations’ about the Greek granny supermarket-goers, but just couldn’t resist 😉
I have never had baked feta before – pairing it with tomatoes and olives sounds like a foodgasm for the tastebuds! 🙂
Haha! Try it, Shashi … it’s delicious!
Oh jeez sounds like grocery store trips are going to be quite the experience for you! People aren’t even like that here in NY! This snack sounds fantastic!
The Greeks are actually great people, Chris. It’s just that some of those ladies can get a bit ‘determined’ with their trolleys, let’s say, when shopping! Glad you liked the appetizer!
such a great appetizer idea! feta goes so well with the rest of the ingredients!
Hello, Sarah & Arkadi, and thank you!
I totally lol-ed when I read this post! Totally reminds me of grocery shopping in Italy – people go nuts trying to outpace each other, like you will get the nice tomato instead, or something. I’d totally do it again, though :P:P:P
Great blog, btw.
Hey, welcome, Aleks! Thanks so much for taking the time to pass by and comment. I’m glad you ‘get’ what I’m saying here. I felt a bit cheeky saying it, but just couldn’t resist! Thanks for the compliment on the blog. So glad you like it! 🙂
Fantastic! Why I have I never thought of doing this? I seriously could eat this as a main dish and be perfectly happy.
Hello, Pam! Thanks so much for passing by and taking the time to read my post. I love all comments, but especially from new visitors! So glad you liked the fritters. I would eat them as a main dish, too … I think I might just do that next time, now that you’ve mentioned it!