Baked Feta With Stewed Peppers

Acclaimed cheese writer Patrick McGuigan recently teamed up with British restauranteur Mathew Carver to release The Cheese Life: Recipes, Cheeseboards and Pairings – a veritable Bible for all things fromage. Inside, you’ll find recipes for every type of cheese, including this starter starring feta. “Salty and tangy, feta holds its shape beautifully when baked, becoming soft and fluffy rather than fully melting,” McGuigan and Carver explain. “Its flavours naturally work with the other Mediterranean ingredients – red bell peppers, tomatoes and honey – in this delicious dipping dish.” If you can find Xinomarvo – a Greek Nebbiolo-style wine with a juicy, earthy taste – pick up a bottle for pairing.

Baked Feta With Stewed Peppers

Mathew Carver and Patrick Mcguigan's recipe for a dip-style starter with baked feta in stewed peppers and tomatoes.

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Course Appetizer, Dip

Cuisine Greek

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Dressing

• 2 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 red finger chili seeds removed
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 tsp honey
• pinch salt

Baked Feta With Stewed Peppers

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 large tomato thinly sliced and seeds removed (save the seeds for later)
• 1-2 tbsp prepared caramelized onions
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 200 g jar feta cheese in oil
• pinch each salt and pepper to taste
• crusty bread to serve

Instructions

 

Dressing

• In blender, purée garlic, chili and lemon juice, adding honey halfway through, until roughly chopped and tiny pieces form with a runny consistency. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with salt to taste; the dressing should be spicy, sweet and slightly acidic and have a perfect amount of salt.

Baked Feta With Stewed Peppers

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Char bell peppers over a gas-stove flame using long tongs, or broil on a foil-lined baking sheet until skin is blackened. Let cool enough to handle; remove skin and seeds. Cut into thin slices and set aside.
• In heat-safe skillet, add oil over low heat. Add tomato seeds and caramelized onions and cook, stirring; add water to just cover onions. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring, until all the water evaporates. Add water again to just cover and cook until it evaporates. Repeat four or five times until the onion becomes almost a purée.
• Stir in reserved peppers, tomatoes and smoked paprika over high heat, cooking until the mixture is reduced and saucy, 3 to 4 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed.
• Add feta to skillet; bake until cheese becomes soft and slightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Top feta with dressing and freshly cracked pepper and serve with crusty bread for dipping. It also makes an excellent sauce for pasta.

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Reprinted with permission from The Cheese Life by Mathew Carver and Patrick McGuigan, Kyle Books, 2023. Adapted for ELLE Gourmet.