One ingredient five ways: Feta cheese

Lifestyle Monday 22/August/2016 16:29 PM
By: Times News Service
One ingredient five ways: Feta cheese

While feta cheese is traditionally used in salads and gratins, it can also be combined with shrimps, chicken, and several other vegetables for its fabulous flavours. To remove the extra saltiness, soak the cheese in milk or water for a while.

Feta Cheese Salad
Take eight to 10 large tomatoes, 11/2 cup feta cheese, few basil leaves, a teaspoon salt, a teaspoon pepper, and Italian dressing. In a pan, spread evenly one layer feta cheese and then the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle Italian dressing and repeat until all tomatoes are used up. Season with salt, pepper, and basil. Add olive oil and refrigerate before serving.

Baked Shrimp with Feta Cheese
Preheat oven at 200 degree C. Melt 6-8 tablespoons butter in a pan and add 1kg shrimps over medium high heat. Add 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes, and salt and cook until shrimps are almost pink. Transfer it to a casserole dish and arrange in a single layer. Add some fresh cut tomatoes and stir until heated through, for about a minute. Crumble 4 tablespoons feta cheese over it and refrigerate. After an hour bake for almost 10 minutes. Sprinkle minced parsley over it and serve.

Feta Cheese Quiche
Take a 9-inch pie crust, 5 eggs, 1 cup spinach and 1 1/2 cups feta cheese. Make a crust by mixing 1 cup flour and salt with fork. Beat 1/2 cup olive oil and water to thicken. Pour into flour and mix with fork. Sprinkle feta cheese on the bottom. Chop spinach and place on top of cheese. Pour in cream and eggs (spinach will float). Bake at 250 degrees C for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 200, and then again bake for 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean. Let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil at medium high in a large skillet. Mix 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside. Butterfly 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, rub inside and out with two tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle all the dry ingredients on inside and out. Stuff each with 2 tablespoons feta cheese and olives and tie it. Braise for several minutes until all four sides of breasts are dark golden brown. Serve hot in a bed of salad.

Zucchini-Feta Pancakes
Take 4 cups coarsely grated zucchini in a bowl, salt it lightly and let it stand 20 minutes. Squeeze out all the excess water. Combine squeezed zucchini, 4 egg yolks, 1 cup feta, 1/2 cup flour, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Beat the egg whites. Fold into first mixture. Fry in butter until golden and crisp. Serve with yoghurt or any other cream [email protected]