Barbecued or Oven Baked Feta

We have had some beautiful weather in the UK this week. It’s been hotter than parts of the Mediterranean on some days and if we weren’t still in lockdown there would’ve been garden parties and family BBQs happening up and down the country. We did get our BBQ out and the husband and I have had a few lovely alfresco meals. He’s quite happy eating burgers and marinated chicken with bread for every BBQ’d meal, but I like to experiment.

Last year my husband and I went to Corfu in Greece for our summer holiday and a few of the restaurants in the cove where we were staying had Oven Baked Feta on their lunch menus. I love feta cheese anyway, so of course I tried it, and it was absolutely delicious. Imagine fresh feta cheese, baked until it’s hot and crumbly with onions, peppers, smooth olive oil and herbs – yum! I think I had Oven Baked Feta, crusty bread, tzatziki and a large glass of white wine pretty much every day of the holiday after that. We’re due to go back to Greece this year for a holiday (a different island though) but the longer this lockdown continues, the less likely it’s going to be. Which is fine, of course, the health and wellbeing of the human race is much more important than our week away, but it’s obviously on our mind. So when I was sat in the sunshine last weekend, sipping a cold glass of wine in my garden thinking I could be anywhere in the world right now, my mind drifted onto our planed holiday and previous holidays we’ve had. Of course, the food I eat whilst away is a massive part of the experience for me, and I started thinking that I’ve got the sunshine, I’ve got the white wine, crusty bread and feta cheese, let’s recreate my beloved Oven Baked Feta. My husband was getting the BBQ ready at the time so instead of baking it in the oven, I tried it on the BBQ and it was amazing!

I ate the whole block with salad and a slice of bread as my evening meal, but it would easily serve 2 for lunch. Try it with roasted sweet potatoes and sliced tomatoes too. Delish!

Ready in 15 mins on the BBQ, or 25 mins in the oven (5 mins prep, the rest cooking) – Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 x 200g block of Feta cheese (the best quality you can find, make sure it says ‘Feta’ not ‘Salad Cheese’)
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A handful of red onion, finely diced
A handful of mixed peppers, finely diced
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of paprika
A pinch of oregano
A pinch of basil

Method:

Preheat oven to 200c / 180c fan / gas mark 6, or get the BBQ lit and hot.
Unwrap the feta and put the whole block in an oven proof dish if oven baking, or in the centre of a large sheet of kitchen foil if BBQ’ing.
Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle on the onion, peppers, herbs and spices.

Bake the feta uncovered in the oven for about 20 mins, or pinch the edges of the kitchen foil together to seal it and BBQ for about 10 mins, or until the cheese is hot and starting to crumble.